


i will buy the flower shop

by weatheredlaw



Series: the joyful duck [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Adoption, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Dementia, Drowning, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Illnesses, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Mild Language, Multi, Not Beta Read, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Parent Death, References to Depression, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-12-13 23:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 62,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11770884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: (and you will never be lonely)or: magnus and julia burnsides move to neverwinter, open a restaurant, and pick up some extra family along the way.





	1. starts (julia)

**Author's Note:**

> the title might reference a flowershop (which will show up later anyway so whatever) but this is a story about a restaurant and it is self-indulgent as all get-out. living!julia, and all the ships i can cram in here. i've got it...tentatively mapped out but i have never been good at that nonsense so don't really expect it from me now. we'll see where this takes us.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Joyful Duck opens. The Burnsides rethink their business plan, and the gang's all here.

_I swear when I grow up I won't just buy you a rose_  
_I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely_  
_For even if the sun stops waking up over the fields_  
_I will not leave, I will not leave 'til it's our time_

 

* * *

 

They called it _The Joyful Duck._

It was an inside joke of sorts, one that Julia had only lightly insisted on and one that Magnus had abruptly acted upon, surprising neither of them. He was like that before they married, and he had continued to be that way in the handful of years after. Julia couldn't let Magnus live down the spontaneous adoption of their mutt, Fischer, or his sudden impulse to propose to her on their third date, or his brief turn as a drummer in her cousin's band back in Raven's Roost –

But all of that was why she loved him, and her gentle, teasing reminders why he loved her. The Joyful Duck was simply the next step.

It was, first and foremost, a risk. Moving to Neverwinter, uprooting their small lives, moving away from Julia's father – it took time, it took convincing, and it took guts. They knew, their family and friends knew, that what they wanted needed room to grow, it needed space and gumption. Raven's Roost was the place they met, the place Julia grew up in, the one Magnus found when his bus broke down at the gas station at the end of town. To leave had been, at first, unthinkable. To stay was, eventually impossible.

And so, here they were.

“Here we are.” Julia leaned her head on Magnus's shoulder and reached down to take his hand. “You did great work with the sign.”

“You know, you're right? I did.”

“Ever humble, my love.”

“Magnus Humble Burnsides, at your service.” He put an arm around her waist. “So? How long before we close up and move back?”

“ _Magnus._ ”

“Don't _hit_ ,” he said. “I'm only joking. A little.”

“ _I_ think we're going to do great.” Julia felt a little squeeze at her side. “What?”

“You want me to pretend I think we're gonna fuck it up so you can say _I told you so_ in six months?”

She thought it over. “Sure,” she said, and stared up as the streetlamps kicked on, illuminating the sign.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, _Magnus._ ”

“Jeez, Jules, _what?_ ”

She grinned and nudged him with her elbow. “I told you so.”

Magnus feigned insult and kept moving. They had tables to serve, and a wait that was piling up. The young woman they'd hired to be their hostess a month in was doing the best she could, but honestly, at this rate, she needed help.

They all needed help. And their fourth cook in as many months was leaving the next morning for a job across town, so they were basically shit out of luck there, too. If they made it through this night, the fifth night in a row this week of being completely slammed and completely out of their depth, it would be a freaking miracle.

After locking up, Magnus leaned against the door and said, “I'm naming our first child Miracle.”

“You're not,” Julia said, and started counting out the till. “Sloane, how many reservations do we have for tomorrow?”

“Seventeen so far.”

Julia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We need that extra staff, Magnus.”

“One more month,” he said, just as Julia mouthed the words. “ _Hey._ ”

“You say that every week.”

“Well...I mean it. Every week.”

“Magnus.” She looked at him. “I know, okay? I know you're scared. But we can't keep doing this. We don't just have money to worry about. We have our reputation, at this point, and you and I both know how hard it'll be to build it up if we keep on scrimping and _saving_ each month until you feel just a little more comfortable.” She slammed the till shut. “It's time to get uncomfortable, Magnus.”

Sloane raised her hand. “I'm uncomfortable.”

“You can go _home_ , Sloane.” Julia flipped through the bills and counted out enough for her tip. “Take it tonight, I'm serious.”

“I'm not a server, I don't need--”

“Just. Take it. We'll see you tomorrow.”

Sloane took the bills gingerly in her hand and nodded. She reached under the hostess's booth where she stashed her bag and started to head toward the back, before stopping. “I know a couple people who could interview tomorrow, if you're interested.”

“We're very interested,” Julia said quickly. “Text me their numbers.”

Sloane nodded and headed out.

By the doors, Magnus was fuming.

“Don't.”

“I'm fine,” he said. “I love it when decisions for _our_ business get made by our hostess.”

“Magnus. Stop.”

“I'm...I'm trying, okay? It's just...you know I don't want this to flop. You know that. Bringing other people in...it puts us at risk.”

“Magnus. As of tomorrow morning, we don't have a cook.”

The man stuck his head out from behind the kitchen door. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Magnus growled. “ _Shut up, Todd._ ”

“We need at least two more servers, someone to help Sloane--”

“If she texted less--”

“You _sound_ like an old man.”

“I am,” he said. “At heart.”

Julia shook her head. “No,” she said. “You're my Magnus. And you're scared.” She pushed herself up on her tiptoes, and he leaned down so she could kiss his forehead. “And that's okay.”

He sighed. “Yeah, alright. But we do this together.”

“Like everything,” she said.

He smiled. “Like everything.”

 

* * *

 

They took a risk and tweeted out that they were closed for breakfast and open for walk-in interviews until lunch, starting at six AM. At five forty-five, they had seven people waiting outside the door.

Julia liked to think it was that episode of _Damn Good Diners_ , or their write-up in the _Neverwinter Gazette._ Whatever had happened, after about three weeks of being open, The Joyful Duck had become a Humble Street favorite, attracting attention from all over the city. Even though they couldn't manage to keep a cook, they'd hired Sloane almost right off the bat. She was a rather sad girl from Goldcliff, but she worked hard and was never late. Todd, their most recent acquisition, was a decent enough cook, but he was flighty and had dreams of Michelin stars and cooking for the duke or whatever.

Their applications for servers and hosts stacked several inches high. Chef, not so much. And Magnus was picky. These were recipes, he insisted, handed to him by his mother. Many of them were taught to Julia by her mother, and even her grandmother. They were special, Magnus said. And so whoever cooked them had to understand that. Todd did, in a way, but not enough to stick around, same as the others. And they were about to throw in the towel on that particular element of all this, the one that meant the difference between opening and closing for the day, when they twins walked in.

It was not immediately obvious that they _were_ twins. Not because they didn't look alike (they certainly did), but their demeanors were completely different. Julia supposed she could not expect all twins to move and walk in perfect harmony, but it _did_ tend to get the point across. It was when they opened their mouths that they became the twins they claimed to be.

“This is my brother Taako,” one said.

“This is my sister Lup,” the other said.

Taako inspected his nails. “We're a package deal, fortunately. What you see you have to get, you know what I'm saying?”

“Taako's got the magic in the kitchen,” Lup explained. “I've got Taako.”

“You just...help him.”

“No, I _assist_ him. It's different,” she insisted. “Really.”

Julia put a hand on Magnus's elbow. “I believe you,” she said. “Your resumes are impressive. I'm willing to work with your style and whatever it is you want to bring to the table, but you have to understand, Magnus and I put a lot of thought into these recipes. They're old, they're important, and they make or break this place.”

“Oh I believe it.” Taako looked up. “I ate here three months ago. I had the fried chicken and it was...what did I call it?”

“Bomb-dot-com-dot-org-dot-net,” Lup said, grinning. “I took a bite. It was sick.”

Julia looked at Magnus. She tried to look desperate which must have worked.

She nodded, and so did he.

“Alright.” Magnus held out a hand. “You're hired. Both of you.”

“...That's it?” Lup stared. Magnus's hand hung awkwardly between them.

“It's nine,” he said. “We serve lunch in three hours.”

Taako shrugged. “Guess we better get to work, huh doofus?”

“No, we decided. _You're_ the doofus. I'm dingus.”

He shook his head. “ _No,_ now you've got it backwards.”

Magnus looked like he wanted to cry.

 

* * *

 

Sloane had a friend, a halfling girl named Hurley, who had a lot of serving experience. Julia liked her right away, and she could tell Sloane was doing her a big favor. After that came Avi, a surprisingly relaxed industry pro who could hold an ungodly number of plates on one arm –

and then there was Merle.

Merle didn't have much serving experience. His most recent job was selling hot dogs out of a food truck on the beach, but he was sweet and Julia had fallen for his story about his kids hook, line, and sinker. Magnus was tougher to convince, but Merle had this...thing about him. It didn't really matter if you believed him or not, though Julia insisted that he seemed to have an air of honesty about him – he just...relaxed her. He even relaxed Magnus. His tone of voice, the way he sat and stood. She could imagine him, clearly, in the middle of a dinner rush, not even breaking a sweat.

And she needed that.

Hurley was quick and a little anxious, Avi was willing to take on a little bit more than he needed to – Merle was a centering force. A guiding light, in a way. He was granola as hell, too, which probably explained a lot, but Julia liked him right away, and Magnus followed her lead.

By two, they had their staff. They probably needed more, but at least know they had stopped treading water – now they could finally stand.

 

* * *

 

It was a Tuesday when the seafood order went completely off the rails, and Magnus had to take their truck downtown to haul it all back on his own, leaving Julia and the crew mid-lunch. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Their lunch service was, if Julia were honest with herself, mediocre at best. The food was wonderful, she knew that, but they just hadn't attracted the crowds she was hoping they would. They were located in a pretty sweet spot. It should have been a home run.

She was seated at a table near the door contemplating their almost-failure, going over the books, planning the summer menu, when Sloane came over and said quietly, “These two people wanted to see you.”

Julia looked up. A tall woman with dark skin and white hair stood as the antithesis to her companion, a small man with freckles and a thick, dark mustache. They smiled winningly and asked if they could join her. Julia agreed.

The woman spoke. “We're sorry to interrupt what appears to be a rather productive work lunch for you, but there was simply no other way to do this.”

“A phone call couldn't suffice,” the man said.

“I'm Lucretia.”

“I'm Davenport.”

“And we represent a restaurant management duo that's been hard at work for over a decade making sure business stay on their feet.”

“We moved the Neverwinter three months ago, and ever since we've been trying to find the perfect partner,” Davenport explained. “You see, we like to think people like us have...perfect matches out there in the world. We rarely work with chain restaurants, and we have a bit of a hard time working with...more experimental cuisine.”

“Foam,” Lucretia said. “Davenport simply can't wrap his head around--”

“It's _not_ food!”

Lucretia held up a hand. “A debate for another time.” She turned to Julia. “We ate here last week. Three times, actually. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“...And?”

“We loved it,” Davenport said. “The pastries were fresh, your lunch menu is light and refreshing, and that handrolled pasta.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Normally I'm a little disappointed, but those were some fresh noodles.”

“I'm...glad you liked it. Look, my husband is out right now, and he's my business partner in all this, really, so anything you think--”

“It won't take more than five minutes.”

“Really,” Julia said, “I think I'd better wait on Magnus--”

It was a blessing from above that he emerged from the back, mopping the sweat from his brow and yelling back at Taako, “ _Next time I'll just go fishing for the damn trout on my own, if this is what it's gonna take!_ ” He turned and saw her, pinned in by two well-meaning, perfectly wonderful people who just happened to be about to shove some well-intentioned ideas right into her arms. “What's all this?”

“You must be Magnus.” Lucretia seemed to sweep forward, her blouse flowing behind her like the crest of a wave, hand outstretched and drawing Magnus toward them. “This is my partner Davenport. We represent a restaurant management duo with over a decade of experience.”

“We were about to tell your lovely wife some of our ideas, but she absolutely insisted we wait for you.”

Julia caught Magnus's eye and mouthed _help me_ from over Davenport's shoulder. He chuckled and nodded.

“Alright. Show us what you've got.”

 

* * *

 

Later, Julia sat at her vanity, combing through her curls and shaking her head. “I can't believe you said yes.”

“You can't.”

“No.” She looked at his reflection. “I'm mean, I'm excited you did.”

“ _We_ did.”

“Right, but you and I have learned that we don't always agree.”

“No, that's true.”

She turned to face him. “What made you do it?”

Magnus shrugged. “I don't know. I drove by this place today, that chain restaurant, the one that just sells chicken salad?” Julia nodded. “They are so _freaking_ busy at lunch, Jules. Like, crazy busy. And their food isn't good, we tried it.”

“Midtier at best.”

“Exactly. They were even busy at that weird in between time, like ten forty-five? When you're not sure if you should have breakfast--”

“But it's too early for lunch, right.”

“Go with your gut, that's what I always say, anyway.” Magnus pulled his shirt over his head. “I was just thinking as I drove by, we make better food, our place is nicer. Why aren't we busier? And I figured, well, they must be doing something right. Maybe there's something we're doing wrong. And I then I get there today, and these two great people are sitting there, and they've got these great ideas. And I don't know. I just...wanted to do it.”

“You're sure.”

“Surer than I've ever been.”

“Positive?”

“Like I lost an electron.” Julia tossed her hairbrush at him. “What? That's one of your dad's favorites.”

“You're a dork,” she said, as she stood and crossed the room to him. “And I love you.”

“I love you, too, Jules.”

 

* * *

 

The plan was pretty simple. Breakfast and lunch service were to be rebranded in the cafe style. Free wi-fi, fresh coffee, always fresh pastries and bread. Dinner was the same, with one addition. Full bar.

“We have a list of candidates we like, obviously, but we'll leave that part up to you,” Lucretia said. The one bit Magnus had grumbled over was the two-week shut down for a brief remodel. The bar needed to be fitted with chairs, the register area needed to be expanded to hold the coffee makers, plus some extra lighting and a nicer hostess stand. It was costing them a pretty penny, but the payout, Davenport had promised, would be completely worth it.

“Cross my heart,” he said.

Julia nodded. She believed him, of course she did. But being closed, having a tense husband and anxious business partner, and a staff that really _needed_ to work – it was stressful.

It was, surprisingly, Lup who made it better.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it was just that Taako and Lup tended to stick together. They arrived at the same time, left at the same time, spoke in matching tones, likely to unnerve Magnus, who had always stood by the opinion, “Twins are weird.”

Lup came by the restaurant a week into renovations, on her own, and said, “Let's get lunch.”

Julia, left to her own devices and refusing to count up how much of their savings they were spending on this for the fifth time that day, agreed. Immediately. And Lup...fucking delivered. She took her down to the beach and they bought the most amazing lobster roll Julia had ever had. Butter dripped down her chin and onto the sandy table, but Lup just stared out at the ocean and sighed.

“This place is pretty okay.”

“You two aren't from around here?”

“Me and Taako? Nah.” She didn't elaborate. Julia didn't press her for details. “We traveled for a while, and then we settled here. Taako got a sweet gig at this really fancy place downtown, but they went, like, totally bankrupt.”

“Oh my god.”

“Oh sweetie. _Honey._ ” Lup put a hand over Julia's. “That is _not_ going to happen to you.”

“You don't know that. There is... _no_ way you can no that.”

Lup shrugged. “Maybe not. But I do know one thing.” She looked...serious, for the first time since Julia had met her. “You and Magnus have something special. And you turned that into all this. Something like that...it doesn't fail.”

Julia absently shoved the rest of her lobster roll into her mouth, chewed and swallowed. “That's nice of you to say.”

“I know, right?” Lup cackled, shattering the moment. She stretched out. “Hey, Sloane's cute as heck, don't you think?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, she's got a nice face.”

“Is that what you told Magnus? _You've got a nice face._ ”

Julia laughed. “Something like that, yeah.”

“Cute. Too bad she's hung up on that other one.”

“On Hurley.”

“Mmhm.” Lup shrugged. “Oh well. At least she's got that nice face for me to enjoy every so often, huh?” And she laughed again, and this time Julia laughed along with her, her body relaxing, and her mind finally clear for the first time in days.

 

* * *

 

The man they hired to bartend was a guy named Bluejeans.

His god-given, honest to goodness, _full name_ was Barry Bluejeans.

Magnus was having some kind of fit. “I can't.”

“He's really qualified.”

“I know, I just hired him with you fifteen minutes ago, but I literally can't.”

“Magnus, stop.”

“Those _glasses._ That _name._ It's too much for me. I need Bluejeans to make me a drink.”

“You need to go to the bank,” Julia said, and pressed a money bag into his hands. “Opening day. We need cash in the till.” She took the chance to lean down to kiss him before he got up out of the chair, and handed him his keys. “Please,” she added.

“Sure, sure.” He laughed to himself again. “This is great.”

“I'm glad you think so.”

 

* * *

 

Lucretia said not to get worked up about anything until a week or so in.

Three days after they reopened, she came to them and said, “I think it worked.”

Magnus was grinning, ear to freaking ear. Their dinner service was finally finished, Sloane had made more reservations that week than she had all month, and Taako was dropping hints that he maybe might need another set of hands, if this was going to pan out.

“At least some punk high schooler to do dishes, since _someone_ keeps promising they will and then doesn't,” he said, glaring at Merle. “Like a _liar._ ”

“I _forgot_ ,” Merle said, hands held up. “I _said_ I was _sorry._ ”

Julia sighed. “So...we're good?”

“We're good.”

“You two are going to stay.”

“For a while,” Davenport said. “I think we found our match,” he added, and gave Julia and Magnus a wink.

“ _Cornball,_ ” Lup said, pulling on her jacket. “Come on, dingus, let's roll.” Taako trailed after her, and one by one, everyone followed suit. Eventually, Julia and Magnus stood alone in the dim light of the dining room, their fingers linked, watching the traffic filter by.

“We did good,” Magnus said, and kissed the top of her forehead.

Julia nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “We did.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "the gambler" by fun.


	2. sand (merle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle processes. Things get deep. Mavis proves to be wise beyond her years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like as soon as i started writing this story i knew i would need a few chapters of merle sort of deconstructing his relationship with his kids. i really love mavis and mookie a lot, so i wanted them here. and i wanted to start digging into merle like. dealing with stuff, i guess? i think he's a good dude who wants to be a good dad, but he's got to reconcile that with the choices he's made and that's really hard. i'm definitely not done with the highchurch family yet, but i feel like this is a good start.

_Though I've never been through hell like that_  
_I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back_

 

* * *

 

Merle liked the idea of Newton's first law. Liked to think he sort of...embodied the concept. It was easy enough to explain to Mavis as they sat on the beach outside his RV, her hunched over a spiral, flipping through the book in the sand by her feet.

“You see,” Merle said, “your old man is a _resting_ object most days.”

“You move plenty,” Mavis said dryly. She glanced up. “You're working again, someplace normal. That's good.”

Merle said gently, “There was nothing _abnormal_ about the truck,” even as he knew that it was a health code violation on wheels, and his then-boss Tom was not exactly a _rule_ follower. They were just one more flagrant violation of the rules away from a total shut down when Mavis had found the job posting for The Joyful Duck on Twitter and urged Merle to apply.

“Hey.” Merle bent down and tapped the edge of her notebook. “Let's take a break, huh? It's our weekend! Let's have a good time.” He glanced over at the shore where Mookie was flinging himself against the oncoming waves. He would be crusty and probably covered in seaweed by the time they went in, and completely impossible to coax into a bath, but he looked like he was having a good time. A better time than his sister, at least. “Physics can wait.”

“I want to finish this.”

Merle sighed. His daughter had more motivation in a single earlobe than Merle had possessed most of his life. As much as he wanted to pull her away from her books, he knew better than most that this was her only ticket to something better. He was never going to be able to pay for college, never going to be able to buy the bulk of her text books or any of those normal dad things that dads did when their kids went off to college.

He felt that familiar twinge of guilt, the one that came after he remembered the series of choices that he'd made that had landed them all here, and decided for tonight, just to push it aside.

“Whatever you need to do, sweetheart. Me and Mook'll be down by the waves.”

“Sure, dad,” she said, without looking up.

 

* * *

 

Merle's schedule left his mornings open, which was nice when he had the kids for the weekend. He could make them breakfast, then take them to the beach which, to be fair, was basically their front yard. Mavis spent most of her days curled up under an umbrella on a towel with her nose in a book, but on the rare occasions when she could be coaxed into the water, she was an excellent swimmer, and she spent those hours teaching Mookie who, at this point, was rather a lost cause in terms of professional swim skills.

“You tried,” Merle would always say, and Mavis would give him a rare smile before offering to make him a quick lunch before work.

And then there were the spaces of days and hours between one weekend and another that Merle spent utterly and completely alone – unless he was at the Duck.

Magnus took offense to the shortening of his lovingly named establishment, but not so much that he didn't drop it into casual conversation himself from time to time. Working at the Duck was a lot like having Mavis and Mookie, Merle reasoned. He got to take care of people, he got to bring them plates of food and tell goofy jokes. The difference was only that, when they were gone, his little RV on the beach felt like a shell he was trapped in. Every morning it got just a little harder to pry himself out.

 

* * *

 

His favorite parts of the work week were the early afternoons he spent with Magnus, unloading their produce order into the walk-in and listening to the oldies station on the little radio Magnus carried with him.

“ _You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille, with four hungry children and a crop in the field._ ”

“You sing, Merle?”

“Me? Nah, I never had that sort of bravado or anything like that. My girl can carry a tune, that's for sure.”

Magnus chuckled. “Seems like Mavis can do pretty much anything, huh?”

“She's got _drive_ ,” Merle said, pushing a box into the back with his hip, immediately regretting it. He let the pain subside before he said, “She's gonna go places. Mookie, too.”

“What's he good at?”

Merle shrugged. “Causing trouble right now. He's only six, he'll find his thing whenever he finds it. Mavis just found hers early. Being a genius and all.” He paused. “Mookie's real good with people. He makes friends easier than anyone I've ever known.”

“Sounds like a cool kid.” Magnus hefted the last box onto the top shelf, wiping his hands on his jeans. “You should bring them by sometime. Jules wants to meet them.”

“Oh, sure, sure. Probably go better than the time they visited the truck.” Magnus's brow shot up. “There was fire. I don't wanna get into it.”

Magnus glanced into the kitchen where Taako and Lup appeared to be hunched over their future fall menu. Merle never knew what those two were up to, but it was suffice to say it would always be something...interesting.

“Can't promise their _won't_ be fire here,” Magnus said, shaking his head.

Merle shrugged. “Well, Mook loves it, so. Won't be an issue.”

He did not mention that, technically, he was not allowed to bring the kids to work anymore, unless his ex wife said he could. And Merle and his ex wife...did not exactly communicate. Not well, anyway. They spoke mostly through their attorneys.

Merle's lawyers were a clever duo with a small office uptown. Killian and Carey had been defending him the last few years at a heavily discounted price, and Merle did his best to show his appreciation by referring them to pretty much anyone he met.

When Davenport mentioned casually they should have the number of a decent attorney on hand, just in case of, well, _something_ , Merle brought Julia their card the next day.

“Best lawyers in town, really.” He did not mention then, either, that Hekuba's lawyer had done a much better job when it came to visitation, but that wasn't really the point. Julia took the card and thanked him. He wasn't sure how much stock she put into his opinions on things, but she was nice to him, which Merle just assumed meant she tolerated him and not much else.

Julia Burnsides was harder to read than her husband. Where Magnus laughed out loud and voraciously expressed his opinion, Julia was quiet and steady. She was a small, rounder woman with hair that she piled on top of her head. She wore the same pair of plain pearl earrings every day, and her favorite color seemed to be lavender. She and Magnus were quite obviously deeply, madly, wholeheartedly in love, and sometimes when Merle saw them together, in the moments they assumed were their own, he felt like he was aggressively intruding _._ But it was just them, standing at the cash register, speaking softly to one another.

Once, he liked the imagine, Hekuba had looked at him that way.

(She had not. They had never been happy together and she had never enjoyed him. Merle had not made it easy, and their marriage was a poor match in an effort for their dwarven families to keep some kind of obsolete bloodline from running dry. That it had only produced Mookie seemed to have disappointed all of Merle's extended family. He didn't see them much.)

 

* * *

 

“ _She says it's fine if they visit sometimes_ ,” Killian said on the other end of the line. “ _Just let us know and we'll let her know._ ” She paused. “ _I guess she's eaten there before. Seems to like it._ ”

“Must have been when I wasn't there.”

“ _You know it was, Merle._ ” The phone shifted. “ _How are things? You sent a little extra in your last payment. You know you don't need to do that._ ”

“Oh, I know, I know.” Merle flipped pancakes in the skillet. “But I'm doing better, so I thought I'd pay it forward.”

“ _Is the place good? Carey's been wanting to try it. Apparently she knows one of the owners? Maggie?_ ”

“Magnus.”

“ _Right. They take that self-defense class together. He's a hoot, I guess._ ”

“He's something.” Merle put Mavis's pancakes on the table. “Come on by for lunch or dinner. I'll see about saving you a table.”

“ _You don't have to--_ ”

“I know I don't,” Merle said quickly. “I want to.”

Killian sighed. “ _Alright. I'll let you know._ ” She said her goodbyes and Merle set down the phone. He had taken a risk, asking the girls to get in touch with the Other Side, as they liked to call it. Still, the payoff was worth it. He turned to the kids and said, “Who wants to go to work with dad?”

Mookie _squawked_ , flapping wildly at the table. “Really? _Can we?_ ”

“Sure!”

Mavis peered over her glasses, pancakes speared on her fork. The look she gave him could have peeled the rest of the paint from the cupboards. “Did mom say it was okay?”

“Actually, she _did_. Thank you for asking. Everything is perfectly legal, and perfectly approved. You've even got a special invite from the boss lady.”

Mavis perked up. She seemed, for some reason, to enjoy Merle's stories about Julia and Magnus. They were like characters in a book she hadn't read yet. They probably sounded that way to her, the way Merle described them – Magnus as impossibly tall with large, warm hands and brown skin and hair pulled back from his face; his wife as tanned and freckled and small, with her delicate jewelry and voice like steel.

“Mrs. Burnsides wants to meet us?”

“Very much.”

She turned to her brother, looked him over and said firmly, “You need a bath.”

 

* * *

 

Mavis took everything in like it _was_ a fairy tale. She had met very few elves in her life, Merle knew, and suddenly here were three of them, all tall and imposing. She seemed drawn to Sloane, who often appeared to Merle as a distressed poet, simply working here until she could be found out for the true talent she was. He had no idea if she wrote at all, but she wore all black even outside of work, as well as a lot of rings. It seemed to make sense.

Mookie and Magnus hit it off right away, and Magnus knew immediately that what Mookie seemed to need was _free range_ , so he let him have the run of the spare walk-in, the door blocked open, and allowed him to fill it with empty boxes they'd need to break down on Sunday.

Mavis trailed behind Julia for a while until she felt confident enough to ask questions about her wedding ring, or why she chose certain foods on the menu, or what her favorite book was.

Merle happily fell into his routine, quite pleased with how things had turned out. It was rare for him, honestly.

Usually nothing really went his way.

 

* * *

 

(The part he always wanted to pretend just hadn't happened was the part where he had burned his bridges. Maybe he and Hekuba were never meant to last, but they could have had something resembling _respectful_ in the years after the divorce. And so the part he wished wasn't real was the part that made it impossible – the part where he walked out and did not come back for three years.

Sometimes he caught Mavis looking at him a certain way and he wondered if she was thinking about the days she could remember when he had been gone and Merle wanted right then and every moment she did it after to send her away and never take them back because he _did not deserve them_ and yet –

here they were.)

 

* * *

 

It became a regular thing. On Saturday nights, Merle would bring the kids to the restaurant, and they would do what they liked, within reason. Usually they wound up reading or coloring in the back office, nibbling on whatever Taako and Lup had fixed up for them.

(The claimed adamantly, and _loudly_ that kids were, “Not really our thing,” but they had done nothing but spoil Mavis and Mookie since the second one of them said they were hungry that first night. Merle wasn't complaining.)

He wondered how long he could get away with it – not really with Hekuba, who seemed happy at least that Merle was working somewhere she approved of, with people she seemed to think were well-rounded and successful and possessing whatever other markers she deemed necessary.

No, it wasn't his ex wife he was worried about. It was Lucretia.

Merle liked Lucretia a lot. She was kind, but firm, and she knew how to give direction. Since she and Davenport had taken over as managers, things had gone from good to great, and everything they did was just a tad more professional than it used to be. Merle's shirts were always ironed, the slacks he wore were always clean, and there was always a plethora of hair ties in the back office for him to use to, “Keep...all that up _there_ ,” as Lucretia had put it.

Merle thought that having his kids there would ruffle her feathers – in his mind she was a lot like a peacock, and Davenport more like a cat. He could be easy to get on with one day, then completely silent the next. Merle didn't take it personally. He was doing a lot. Lucretia simply seemed to understand better than her partner that consistency in tone was important on occasion. And it was true, Lucretia dealt with customer complaints. Davenport's job was largely with the staff. But however much kindness she'd showed him, he wondered how far it could extend.

It extended, it seemed, to his children, with whom Lucretia was immediately taken. Merle could not have explained to a single person in his entire life what part of himself was really in his kids. He had _left them_ , after all. And he wasn't likeable, personable, or charming. He did not possess many skills beyond serving and making small talk. He could not juggle, do complicated physics equations, or make friends. But his children were supremely talented, and universally adored.

Merle wondered: when had he stopped being an influence in their life, and when had they become someone else's children?

 

* * *

 

They were not, of course. They were his. But he sometimes felt distanced from them, flighty and on edge when they were around. Merle was hardly gripped with another desire to bolt, but he did wonder sometimes if he was doing more harm than good, getting his weekends.

Mavis seemed to read his mind as they drove home one evening, Mookie's head in her lap.

“You're a pretty good dad,” she said quietly, glancing over at him. “I know you don't always feel like it, and I know you messed up, but you're really trying.”

Merle swallowed thickly. “Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate that.”

She nodded. “I just think you should worry less about how you're going to mess us up and worry more about you.”

Merle raised a brow. “Care to explain?”

“It's not hard to understand,” Mavis said. “You always think you're making the wrong choice. You've got, like, zero parenting self-confidence.”

“But _you_ just said--”

“I know. And you are.” She combed her fingers through Mookie's hair. “I don't know, you spent a long time just...not being the best _you_ that you could be.” She leaned back. “I think you're getting better. I think you're feeling better.”

Merle swallowed. “Didn't know I was feeling bad," he lied.

“You're depressed, dad. Even I know it.”

He glanced her way. “Now who taught you about stuff like that, huh? Your mom tell you I'm...I'm _depressed_ , or whatever?”

“No. I go to school,” she said. “I'm fifteen. I know what depression is. And I know you've got it.”

Merle thought about his RV, and the walls that seemed to be shrinking around him like a tin can.

“Anyway,” she said. “I just wanted you to know that since you've been at the Duck, I think you've gotten happier.” Mavis yawned. “That's all.” She dozed off, and Merle turned down the road toward the RV park, eventually idling just outside his place, letting the two of them rest a little longer.

It was...something to think about, he reasoned with himself. He couldn't really remember a time when he was especially happy, other than the days he spent with the kids now. And even those were tinged with an overwhelming sort of sadness, particularly when he thought of the years without them, or meeting Hekuba at their drop-off spot and going back home only to be crushed by a silence that did not quite deserve to be _called_ silence – it was eighty or so steps beyond that, and Merle, sometimes, wanted to disappear from it.

But Mavis was right. He'd only been at The Joyful Duck for a few months, and already he was feeling like he'd found something. Maybe not anything perfect, but it was certainly a start, and Merle would take that over the sort of impending doom he had been feeling pretty much any day.

“Mavis. Hey, _Mavis._ ” She stirred awake. “I got a question.”

“What?” she muttered, and rolled to face him.

“What's it called? You know. When you...when you find people who are _like_ your family, but they're not _really_ your family.”

Mavis yawned and closed her eyes for a moment, until Merle thought maybe she'd fallen asleep, so he moved to unbuckle them.

“Family of choice,” she said quietly, before undoing her seat belt and gently waking her brother.

Merle nodded. “Right. Family of choice. Thanks, honey.”

She yawned again and opened the door of the car. “No problem, dad.”

 _Right,_ he thought.

_No problem._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "carry on" by fun.


	3. salt (taako)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako rages, just a smidge. Neverwinter celebrates the end of summer, and Taako's phone (and Taako) go for a swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter grew _wildly_ out of hand before i could really put it in check, but it needed to do what it does so. setting up some future ships and i just gotta say here because i won't get to a lup or barry centric chapter until after the next one, which is magnus -- but i _do_ intend to slow the barry/lup train down, that's a promise. it won't be a true slow burn, but it will move slower after this chapter as our beloved nerds sort themselves out. promise. anyway, enjoy taako being a dork and kravitz being smooth as fuck. for now, at least.
> 
> (also apparently i'm just using fun. lyrics for all these so.)

_But with every single buck I've made_  
_I'm saddled with bad luck that came_

 

* * *

 

“Uh, Taako?” Hurley peeked around the corner into the kitchen. “Uh, someone--”

“Spit it out,” Taako said. He was plating pasta as Lup followed him with sauce and meatballs. “ _I've got four noodles and balls here ready to go out!_ ”

Avi reached for the plates and sighed. “Dude, come on.”

“Noodles and balls, noodles and balls, what's up, Hurley?” She started and that was when Taako realized she was holding a plate in her hands. A plate of hardly touched food. “ _What_ is _that?_ ”

“Um, one of the customers said--”

“ _Said what?_ ”

Lup swatted his shoulder. “Let her _finish._ ”

Hurley swallowed. “He said that the chicken was...bland.”

Taako blinked. “ _Bland?_ ”

“Taako.” Lup put a hand on his shoulder. “Don't do it. This is Lucretia's job and you know it.”

“He said it was _bland?_ ” Taako yanked the plate from Hurley's grip. “Where is he?”

“Uh-uh,” Avi said. “You know you shouldn't do that, you're gonna get in trouble, Davenport's gonna be pissed--”

“ _Where is he?_ ” Taako said, looking right into Hurley's eyes.

She pointed to a table in the far corner of the dining room. “Uh, there. Look, Taako, you should really let Lucretia handle it, she already knows, I was just gonna tell you he wanted the--”

Taako turned and walked across the dining room. He wasn't sure quite who he was looking for, but he knew him right when he found him. Tall, slim, dark skinned with hair pulled back. He was looking at something on his phone and if it was to leave this place a bad fucking _Yelp_ review, Taako was going to give him a good reason to leave one in the first place. But he looked up, smiled, and said, “You're not the manager.”

“I'm _not._ I'm the one who cooked your chicken.”

“Ah, even better.” He angled himself toward Taako. “I'm terrible sorry, I'm sure plenty other people enjoy the subtlety of fennel and sage, but I personally find it--”

“ _Bland?_ ” Taako asked. “Can I get you salt block then, maybe? To go along the side?”

The man's smile fell. “There's no reason to be crass about it, I've already ordered the pasta and arrabiata sauce.” He glanced into the kitchen. “I assume you'll be the one cooking it?”

“Yeah,” Taako said. “Yeah I _will._ I'll make sure it's up to your _flavor specifications._ ”

The man smiled again. “I trust you will. As I said, it's not that the chicken isn't _good_ , but unfortunately for me, I suppose, it's just not the blend of herbs I _prefer_ \--”

“Taako.” Lucretia's stony voice sent a small shiver down his spine, not that he'd ever admit it. He steeled himself against it. “Do we have a problem?”

“We don't,” the man said. “The chef here was just trying to sort out what I didn't like, perhaps to learn a little lesson? I can't be sure. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the pasta.”

“My apologies...”

“Kravitz,” he said, and shook Lucretia's hand.

She smiled. “Perfect. Taako.” She didn't even need to look at him. Taako ducked out of the dining room, ignoring what appeared to be the fuming gaze of Julia on his backside. In the kitchen, Avi and Hurley were still standing with plates in their hands.

“Did you get fired?”

“No. Get those plates out so I don't have to fucking remake anyone's food for the rest of my fucking _life_ ,” Taako snapped. Avi leapt into action.

Taako dumped the chicken.

 

* * *

 

Taako expected his tongue lashing to come from Lucretia, or even Davenport.

He was not expecting it from Julia.

“I do not _care_ that someone didn't like your chicken. I do not _care_ if your feelings got hurt! We have a...a _reputation_ to maintain, Taako! You cannot march into the dining room every time someone says they don't like something you made and...and _offer them a salt block!_ ”

“Not my best burn,” he said. “I'll admit it.”

Julia practically growled. “Sometimes, Taako, you're going to make choices people don't approve of. Like...like using _fennel_ instead of garlic salt or _whatever._ But you just gotta keep going, okay? You gotta just...just _move on_ and do what you came here to do because what one person thinks doesn't matter when you know you're doing the right thing, and--”

Magnus put a hand on her shoulder. “Jules.” He leaned down because _god_ he was so much fucking taller than her and Taako had no idea how two people like that were supposed to function together, let alone be _married._ “We're talking about _Taako_ , remember?”

“I...” She blinked, as if coming back to herself.

“Maybe go upstairs?”

“Right.” She nodded and went through the back and up the stairs to the little apartment she and Magnus had above the Duck.

Magnus winced as the door slammed before looking at Taako. “Please don't do it again,” he said, but it was the freaking nicest way anyone could have said it because Magnus was just a fucking _good dude_ and Taako wanted to _punch_ him for it, right then and there.

Lucretia nodded and dismissed them all for the night.

Taako barely managed to get out with Lup right behind him.

“Hey, _dummy._ ” He turned to face her. “It's okay.”

“It's not,” he said. “It was unprofessional and I shouldn't have pushed. Now we're gonna need a new fucking job.”

“What, you think _Julia_ is going to fire you?”

“She should.”

Lup shook her head. “She's not. She's just having a rough week.”

“How do you know?”

Lup shrugged and started heading for their car. “We talk.”

Taako stared after her as she dug into her bag for the keys. “ _What the fuck does that mean?_ ”

 

* * *

 

He did not lose his job, which was a freaking _blessing_ considering his most recent work history. Taako had long ago developed the bad habit of sometimes taking things a little too personally, especially when it came to his food. Lup tried to get him to let it go, but this was what he was _good at_ , cooking was the only marketable skill he possessed, besides his face, and he and Lup had tried to model thing for five minutes before he decided he couldn't reconcile the commodification of it all with how much he _liked_ himself.

But he wasn't quite sure what had brought him out into the dining room the night before. He rarely did it, and usually it was a stunt if he and Lup were ready to bail. There was just something...something about the food at the Duck and the way everything was so carefully chosen and made and how Magnus and Julia had it all planned from the start. Taako felt _good_ cooking their food. It felt a lot like when he and Lup lived with their aunt and she'd make their favorites after a rough day at school, or for their birthday.

He wasn't sure how to tell Julia that his perfectly obnoxious display had been out of _respect_ and not meant to slight her.

She seemed to get it.

“I'm sorry,” she said when he came in for work that afternoon. “It's...I've had a rough week.”

“That's what my sister said.”

Julia nodded. “I was projecting a little, and that wasn't right. Your chicken's amazing, I might have told that guy off, too.”

“You wouldn't have. You've got more tact than I do,” Taako said.

“Maybe I don't.” She sighed and they stood there in the middle of the kitchen, in what Taako thought were the pre-moments of a Burnsides hug.

He realized of course, almost instantly, that Julia Burnsides was _not_ a hugger.

This surprised him, somewhat. Magnus was certainly a hugger, everyone on staff knew if you needed like a feel good big brother hug, just ask Magnus, he'd deliver. And he'd certainly _seen_ Julia and Magnus hug one another, but – she was looking decidedly uncomfortable in this space where she thought, maybe she'd need to hug him. She didn't, Taako wanted to say, because he wasn't a hugger either.

It was something he hadn't realized about her and until right then. That she was awkward and unsure and feeling out of place with the weight of whatever she was going through.

So Taako said, “Good talk,” and gave her a pass.

She straightened. “Yeah. Good talk.”

His lecture from Davenport was decidedly more curt. “We've called Dr. Kravitz, and we humbly offered him a completely free meal, but he declined,” he added, after informing Taako for five minutes straight that if he ever pulled something like that again he'd send him to a training class in Phandalin for starting staff at Denny's. “He said the pasta and the sauce were delicious and compliments to the chef.” Davenport shook his head. “You got _lucky_ , Taako.”

“No, I'm just that good.” Lup fist bumped him as she walked past. “I said I was sorry, I talked to the boss lady, am I good?”

Davenport sighed. “Yeah, you're good.”

“Hey, my man, how about I make you a sandwich, huh? You'll feel better,” he sing-songed.

Davenport shook his head, then, “...Well. Okay.”

“See? We're good.”

 

* * *

 

Taako didn't see the mysterious Dr. Kravitz for a while. He was told a handful of times, in conspiratorial whispers from Merle, that he was eating at the same table as usual, and that his preferred dish was now the pasta arrabiata. Taako played it off, shrugged whenever they brought him up, and tried not to think about the way the man's face had fallen when Taako had basically _cornered_ him. He didn't like to get too caught up in what other people were feeling.

“Bro, can I ask you a question?” Lup leaned against the counter.

“Depends.”

“Do you think Barry is cute?” she said anyway, gaze zeroing in on the small strip of the bar they could see from the kitchen. “Objectively speaking.”

Taako look up. “Uh, no? I don't.”

Lup nodded. “He must be, then. Your taste is terrible,” she added.

“I am _appalled_ and, frankly, _shocked_ that you would _ever_ insult my taste in men.”

“Which is cute, considering your taste in men is appalling _and_ shocking.” Lup turned back to the counter and spooned soup from the tureen into bowls. “I think he's cute. I'm thinking about making him go with me to the festival next weekend.”

“ _Ooh_ someone's got a date to the festival?” Avi asked, leaning on his elbows on the counter. “Tell me about it, who's it with?”

“Barry,” Lup said.

“He said he's go with you?”

“Haven't asked yet.” She handed Avi the soups. “But he will.”

Avi laughed. “You've got more confidence in your nose ring than I think I'll ever muster.”

“Don't flatter her,” Taako said dryly. “She doesn't need the ego boost.”

“I constantly need my ego boosted,” Lup said, pulling down an order Merle had just put up. “Pasta and arrabiata.”

Merle eyes darted back and forth. “ _It's for you-know-who_ ,” he whispered loudly.

“Oh, piss _off_ ,” Taako muttered, snatching the order. “Noodles,” he said to his sister. “I can't believe we haven't fucking _moved on_ from this.”

Lup shrugged. “You're the one who made it personal.”

“I told you, it was an impassioned defense of our employers.” But he set about heating sauce and mixing the spices anyway. Taako did not _care_ about Dr. Kravitz. Taako did not _care_ about his pasta order, or his dislike of fennel and sage. He certainly did not care that the man was now a regular and had found out Lucretia's birthday and bought her a stunning broach, or that he and Davenport swam laps at the same gym and raced one another, or that he had started coming in for breakfast and lunch, too, and that even Sloane – unmovable, unshakable, madly-in-love-with-Hurley _Sloane_ – was charmed by him.

None of this bothered Taako at all, and he hardly even thought of it.

When Merle came back later to pick up the order, he said slyly, “You-know-who told me to tell you he says hello.”

“Fuck off, Merle.”

The dwarf shrugged. “Just the messenger here.”

Taako rolled his eyes.

Lup said, “Yeah, I'm definitely taking Barry to the festival next week.”

“ _I do not care._ ”

“I thought you'd want a subject change.”

“Not to your love life,” Taako said, and moved on to the next order.

Lup stopped him, putting her hands on his shoulders and forcing him to look at her. “Hey,” she said. “We have this job. We have something good going for us right now. Don't let yourself get in the way of it, okay?” She ruffled his hair. “Goober.”

“That's a stupid nickname.”

Lup laughed. “Come on, we've got more pasta to cook.” And she moved on from the topic, chatting idly about colors she was thinking of painting their living room while the landlord was out of town, and the succulents she was thinking of getting for the balcony since they were both incapable of keeping anything alive. (“I mean, thank goodness Magnus took that goldfish off our hands.” “Amen.”)

Taako was busy moving about, finishing the last few orders, so he didn't notice someone new had stepped into the kitchen. Someone tall, dark, “and _criminally_ handsome,” Lup said just as Taako tuned in.

“Please, you flatter me.” Kravitz's voice rolled out _smooth_ and Taako froze. “I came to finally give my complements to the chef. Lucretia said it was fine.”

Without looking up from his place by the warming drawer, Taako said, “Good for her.” It was stupid, though. He was just standing there, bent over, letting Kravitz talk to his _ass._ God he hated himself. He straightened and turned around, grin plastered on his face. “Good of you to finally show, I guess.”

Kravitz shrugged. “I just wanted you to understand how much I appreciate the good work you two do back here. Twins?”

“Triplets,” Lup said.

“Ignore her.” Taako wiped his hands on his apron. “Anything else we can do for you?”

“Only what you've been doing.” He extended his hand and Taako, feeling like he was inching ever closer to the _precipice_ of something, shook it without thinking.

Everyone had been guessing about what kind of _doctor_ Kravitz was, but Taako had long suspected he had some useless PhD, just because it helped him sleep at night. He thought the hands would tell him, but they were as unassuming as the man, and warm on his own. He felt, quite clearly, every inch of grease and oil and sauce that was certainly covering him, though Kravitz didn't seem to mind.

“I hope this is us burying the hatchet.”

“I've got an actual hatchet around here somewhere if you wanna take this party outside.”

“I'm good.” He let go and slid those hands back into his pockets. “Well, Taako.” He nodded to Lup.

“Lup,” she said.

“Taako and Lup. Good to get this settled. I'll see you soon, I suspect.” He smiled and turned to leave the kitchen, though not before pausing by the doorway and saying, “Will you be at the festival next weekend? Julia said you'd only be open for breakfast and lunch. Doesn't that mean the night off for you?”

“Hell yeah it does,” Lup said, and gave Taako a hearty shove, urging him a few feet closer.

“I'm not good with crowds,” he said.

“Well, maybe I'll see you there.” And with that, he was gone, leaving Lup _howling_ behind Taako, her excitement almost sending her to her knees.

“ _That. Was. Amazing._ ” She grabbed Taako by the front of his shirt. “That fancy-pants doctor wants to _woo you_ , babe.”

“Well, who could blame him?” Taako extracted himself from her grip. “But I'm not going.”

“What? Why not?”

He shrugged. “I was never going, I told you I didn't feel like it.”

“No, now you _have_ to go,” she said. “Fancy-pants doctor _invited you._ ”

“Why does everyone think I'm _interested?_ ”

Lup shrugged. “Maybe we just want you to be. He's nice, he's handsome.”

“He's probably a...a _slob_ or something. Or maybe he keeps his nose hair clippings. Or _maybe_ \--”

“Frankly with a face like that he can do whatever weirdo thing he _wants_ ,” Lup said. “But you're right, it's your choice.” She put a rare, gentle hand on his shoulder, the kind that reminded him more of their aunt than he wanted. Still, it did the trick. “Do you ever think that maybe people just...want you to be happy?”

“I am happy,” he said, in a tone that could not even convince himself. “ _Really._ ”

“Okay, bro.” Lup patted his shoulder. “Let's finish up.”

 

* * *

 

Neverwinter was a city that loved its festivals. But none of them were quite so spectacular as the one that said goodbye to summer. The Festival of Hope saw pretty much everyone in the town converging on the city's central park, and most businesses didn't bother to stay open in the evening. It was the only reason The Joyful Duck was closing for dinner, and Julia and Magnus seemed excited to go to their first big city celebration.

“Next year we should try to get one of those cooking tables,” Julia said, hip-checking the till and passing out tips from the afternoon. She paused when she saw Taako and Lup. “What are you two doing here?”

“Meeting Barry,” Lup said. She had, indeed, convinced him to go with her, and he stood at the end of the bar, absently wiping the counter and pretending not to notice Julia's quick grin of approval. “Also Taako decided to go.”

“I _came_ to pick up my check and now the roads are closed until eleven and I was _stupid_ enough to get talked into driving this one because she didn't want to fuck up her hair.” Taako was bitter, annoyed, and put out by all of this.

He wasn't about to tell Lup that his grand plan all along had been to show up fashionably late, pretend he didn't care about seeing Kravitz, and eat his weight in artisanal corndogs. _This_ particular plan he'd been roped into meant being at the festival mid afternoon _and in the sun_ for far longer than he wanted – and he hadn't even brought his umbrella.

“Well I'm glad you're going,” Julia said, in that tone she had that rarely invited argument, particularly from her husband. “Magnus, hon, let's lock up.”

“Can do.” The group of them followed him out the front door and watched as the doors to The Joyful Duck were locked mid-afternoon for the first time in months. It was around this time that Merle showed up, and completely ruined the moment.

“You locked it already? Man, I gotta take a _dump_.”

“Where are the kids?” Magnus asked loudly.

“With their mom. We're gonna meet up later, probably. Hey, can I tag along with you two?”

“Nah, Merle, front of the house is sticking together,” Avi said, one arm slung around Sloane's shoulder, the other one resting awkwardly on top of Hurley's head. “Let's get beer tickets, I'm getting sloshed.”

“Here, here!”

Taako sighed. This festival was pretty much everything he hated about the world as a whole, but, he tried to reason with himself, maybe the pâté truck was there. That would be a diamond among all the breaded, battered, and deep fried.

Lup turned to him. “I'm abandoning you,” she said.

“I assumed.”

“Barry and I are going to the wine garden.”

“It's amazing,” Barry said, his prescription sunglasses sliding down his nose. He pushed them up. “Seriously, the local wines here are amazing. Lup, you gotta try the blackberry wine they make in Phandalin, it's out of this freaking world.”

“See?” she said. “It's out of this world.”

And she suddenly grasped Taako's hand in her own so tight it freaked him out for a second, but her grip was too firm to pull away from. He was trapped there, in her orbit, as the crowd milled around them.

“Promise me you're going to _have fun_ ,” she said.

“I promise.”

“Don't lie. You said you wouldn't lie.”

“Never said that.”

“Well say it now,” Lup said.

“I won't lie. I promise to have fun. Please don't go looking for Greg Grimaldis.”

“He owes me ten bucks. Almost a hundred, now, if I'm counting interest.” She turned and looped her arm through Barry's. “ _Text me_ ,” she called over her shoulder, and Taako was left alone, the crowd forming a mass around him, his stomach growling and pâté calling.

 

* * *

 

The pâté truck was not in attendance when he finally found the brochure listing all the trucks and their locations. But there were a few that he'd never seen before, so he turned the map in the proper direction and set about looking for the fanciest kabob truck he could find. He had only started walking when that oh-so familiar voice called out to him, yanking him abruptly from his search.

Kravitz was in line at Mode de Macaron, which, frankly, was a lousy excuse for a truck. Eyes lidded, Taako approached and looked the line up and down.

“You're gonna eat this trash?”

“I've never had a macaron before,” Kravitz admitted, and Taako rolled his eyes. “Is it not up to your _flavor specifications_ , chef?”

“Not even a little. The cookie's dry, the center is crumbly, they use _store bought jam_ in the middle. I'm not gonna knock them for doing that, but they could at least go brand name. It's hard enough to get people to take these things seriously. They're a feat to fix and no one in that truck does it right.” He turned and saw the girl taking money staring at him with murder in her eyes. “ _Yeah, you heard me Rita! Your cookies suck!_ ”

“ _Fuck you, Taako truck!_ ”

He waved off the insult. “I will personally see to it that the Duck is stocked with _fresh_ and _edible_ macarons the next time you come by.”

“...So I shouldn't eat here.”

“ _No!_ ” And, without thinking, Taako grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of line. “If it were an actual good day we'd be having andouille sausage wrapped in the most delicious breading imaginable, but my life is a disaster on a stick so no fancy corndogs for us.” He let go of Kravitz and stopped in front of a truck called _Two Dead Rabbits_. “Rabbit meat.”

“That sounds appalling.”

“It's delicious and you're having some.” The line was short – the truck enjoyed a healthier reception during the less mainstream events, when people were actually _looking_ for something interesting to eat, instead of just a basket of fried Oreos to shove down their gobs. “This place is perfect and amazing and _Louise_ is a goddess. Hello, Louise.”

“Hey, Taako.” A lithe elf leaned out the window to peck his cheek. “What's happening, dude? I heard you were working at the Duck place. That's a sweet gig.”

“Isn't it? This is Kravitz,” he added, “and he has no taste. Can you help him?”

“You want the starter kit?”

“Please.” Taako fished in his pocket for coin and placed it on the window sill. “And two of the teas, I think.”

“Sure, bud.” She passed over two large plastic cups filled with fruit and the most amazing passion tea Taako had ever tasted.

“Doesn't need an ounce of sugar,” he said.

Kravitz nodded and took a healthy sip. “Phenomenal.”

“Right?” Louise passed down their food and some napkins, along with a few cups of the house sauce. “You're a doll.”

“As are you. Hey, did I see your sister here with a date?”

“You did, don't remind me. See you in October, yeah?”

“For sure.”

Kravitz frowned. “What's October?”

“Rare and interesting meat and greet. Emphasis on _meat._ ” They sat at a picnic table and Taako handed him a plate. “Here. Dip in the sauce and complement with this amazing bread. Also this pickle mix is literal heaven and I won't hear complaints to the contrary.”

They proceeded to pass the afternoon that way, with Taako introducing Kravitz to his foodie friends, giving him weird things he'd never tried before, and eventually giving in and have festival typical fried pickles before settling on a walk along the pier. The sun was going down, and Taako wondered if Barry and Lup had found their way out of the wine garden.

“I wondered if you'd be here,” Kravitz mused out loud.

“Yeah, so did I.” Taako slurped on his milkshake, another thing he'd been talked into buying that he reluctantly enjoyed. “Lup was like, _stop pretending to hate having fun_ , so I had to prove her wrong. I like festivals. I do like crowds,” he admitted. “This was...a good time.”

“It was.” They settled onto a spot and Taako took off his sandals, bare feet hanging over the water. “So I gotta know. What kind of doctor are you?”

Kravitz laughed. “Are you guys taking bets?”

“Yep. And I'm definitely cheating, so.”

“Well, I like you, so I'll help.” He ate the last of his pickles. “I'm a coroner. _The_ coroner, actually. There are a few people who work under me, but I manage the morgue downtown.”

Taako blinked. He fucking _knew_ it. He knew there was something weird, something totally creepy and _bizarre_ about this guy –

and yet.

“That's...wicked, actually.”

“You think so, huh?”

“For sure, my dude. Like, I couldn't do it. Dead people, no thanks. I feed the masses, you know what I'm saying?” Kravitz nodded. “Merle figured you were a brain surgeon, but that's always his guess about anyone's career. Random dude over there? Brain surgeon. Random woman at the bar? Brain surgeon with a dark past, that's his new one.”

“Do I have a dark past?”

“Nah, not according to Merle. I mean you could, I don't know your life.” He leaned back and looked out on the water. The lifeguards were blowing the whistle to call the swimmers back to the beach, and Taako could see Merle in question, lifting his youngest kid out of the waves and hauling him back to shore.

“Thank you for doing this with me,” Kravitz said, breaking their comfortable silence. It wasn't unwelcome. He had that _voice_ , and Taako's ears were more sensitive than most considering his heritage so they picked it up like fucking satellite dishes, broadcasting it straight into his brain and trying to divert it to his dick.

He managed to avoid that predicament. There was no way he was gonna get a boner over _won't-eat-fennel-and-sage_. God, he needed a better nickname for this guy.

“It was good,” Taako said. “I'm glad I did.”

And that was precisely when the first firework went off, scaring the living _shit_ out of him and sending him tumbling into the water under the pier. It was a surprise, so much so that he swallowed a great mouthful of water and could hardly get his bearings. This was how people who fucking _knew how to swim drowned,_ he realized, and wondered if the entire pier was just going to watch him struggle.

A strong hand reached down and grasped him by the forearm. Another reached under his armpit and suddenly Taako was being lifted up, sputtering and choking and coughing up water until he practically vomited.

It was the least attractive he'd felt all day, and Kravitz was looking at him like maybe he might be disappearing from this planet.

“Holy shit,” someone said. “You okay man?”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks for all your help.” He choked one last time and water spilled onto the pier. “Fucking hell.”

Kravitz gave him a sturdy _thump_ to the back. “You're alright. Take it easy, you're okay.”

Taako groaned and pulled away, trying to shake the feeling. He'd been swimming since he was a freaking _toddler._ He had been swimming his _entire life_ , pretty much, and he had just almost _drowned._ God he was stupid. He was so stupid and he'd done it in front of a guy who had, like, _actively_ wanted to spend his day with him, and now Taako had put a nice ribbon on the whole thing by spitting up water all over his shoes.

“Taako--”

“I'm gonna go home. I gotta text my sister, I'm going home.” Behind him, fireworks exploded, and he jumped again, not sure why he couldn't quite place himself in all this. “Thanks, uh, for saving my life.”

“Nice change of pace for me, really.”

“I'll bet.” Taako was finally able to breathe and gave in, letting Kravitz help him to his feet. “Sorry I sort of threw up on your shoes.”

“Believe me, that's not the worst I've seen.”

“I'll bet not.”

Kravitz smiled and took a step back. “You need space. I'll let you have it.”

Taako blinked. “Uh, thanks.” He reached into his pocket, and realized his phone had gone in with him. “Well, _shit._ ”

“You can borrow mine--”

“No. Let me just--” He checked his keys, and they seemed okay. Not like his car wasn't a pile of rusted doors and bolts and duct tape, so no worries there. “I'll go home and like, email her or something.” He paused, not sure what else to do. He'd basically gone on a cheesy date and been rescued like a damsel out of the ocean. “Can we try this again, eventually? But like, with less me falling in the water and more us actually being able to hear each other talk?”

“If you want. I'd give you my number, but--”

“Yeah, I'll take a rain check.” He checked his phone again, one more reminder that this part just _sucked,_ and nodded. “Alright, I'll see you.”

“See you, Taako.” Kravitz didn't follow as Taako sloshed down the pier and across the road to where he'd parked his car. He grabbed a towel from the trunk and laid it in the front seat and managed to get out of the lot without running into too much traffic. Lup wouldn't be upset, she was terrible at texting anyway, and she liked seeing Taako's ancient email address pop up on the screen of her phone. (“rudeabegga9000! You dork.”)

He'd never been so freaking happy to get back to the apartment, never been so happy to be _away_ from all of that, even if crowds were honestly his jam, even if he really _did_ live for shit like today – it felt good to be home.

The door swung open, and Barry and Lup were absolutely, one-hundred percent, grinding on the sofa.

“God dammit,” Taako said, and they looked up. Barry, of course, was the only one with the decency to blush. Lup only grinned. “You told me to text you.”

“You never did.”

“Well I went fucking swimming in my clothes and took my phone for the ride.”

“Did you fall and hit your head or something? Why would you do that?”

“ _I fucking fell in, dingus._ ” Taako tossed his keys on the table. “Good time, Barry?”

“Um.”

“It's okay, sweetie. Barry had a headache,” she explained.

“Yeah, he looks distraught. I'm gonna get a shower, can you do that somewhere else so I can watch something?”

“ _No promises!_ ” Lup called back, but he did eventually hear her bedroom door shut, and the sound of the two of them laughing behind it.

And he'd give his sister shit for it later, tease Barry mercilessly at work the next day, but – there was really nothing quite like being happy for your sister. And Taako would swim in _that_ particular ocean any day.

No handsome coroner rescue required.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "be calm" by fun.


	4. sick (magnus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus reminisces and recuperates. Taako makes soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry friends i got distracted by episode 68 and another fic and then the finale happened and i've listened to it like three times and i'm a mess? and i'm moving this weekend? anyway it took 81 years to write this.

_Now for all the steps you'll take and all you'll overcome_   
_I wanna be the one to put in a song_

 

* * *

 

The Wednesday after the festival, Magnus woke up sick as a dog.

Naturally, their actual dog was feeling fine, as evidenced by his bounding personality, and equally obnoxious habit of _bounding_ into their bed. Normally, this would have been fine, but normally, Magnus did not feel like he was on the verge of death and dying.

“ _Off_ , Fischer. _Off._ ” Magnus heaved the mutt onto the floor. “I need to get a shower.”

“You need to stay in bed.” Julia breezed into the room, knotting her hair neatly on top of her head. She checked the mirror and fixed her blouse. “You're sick, Magnus. You need rest.”

“We need the hands, Sloane's out--”

“And we'll do just fine without her _and_ you.” She crossed the room to him and perched on the bed, resting the back of her hand on his forehead. “You're burning up, love.”

“Only because you're here.”

“Magnus.”

He sighed. “I do feel like shit,” he admitted.

“I think you've got the flu.”

“I don't _want_ the flu.”

“I know,” she said sweetly, and Magnus felt twelve and petulant. Julia leaned down to kiss his forehead, their touch a cool reprieve. He wanted her to linger, but she had to go, and he was very close to vomiting. “Drink water, please. I'll have Avi bring some soup up later.”

“And crab cakes.”

She sighed and said, “Absolutely not,” before walking out of the apartment.

 

* * *

 

Five years ago, Magnus got on a bus with one dufflebag and a Walkman, and started riding.

It was the most beatnik thing he could think of doing at the time, though he'd certainly not been _trying_ for that particular aesthetic. Magnus had no proclivity for heroine. But it was fun, he had decided after the first few days. That was when it did begin to lose its luster, however – which was convenient, since that's right around the time when the bus broke down.

Right outside of Raven's Roost.

Magnus heaved his bag down the steps and into the station. There were no buses coming in or out for another week, and the next town was hardly within walking distance, so Magnus figured he'd check in somewhere, get some rest, and see where things went. The girl behind the counter at the station was beautiful, with long red hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose. Magnus had always liked that. Her name was Becca and she'd offered to walk him to the hotel down the street and maybe show him around town in the morning.

“Here we are,” she said. Magnus looked up at the sign that read “The Royal Roost,” and thought he could stay here a while. These folks seemed like good people.

“Thanks,” he said quickly. “Uh--”

“Maybe I'll meet you here tomorrow morning?”

“Sure.” He watched her walk away for a minute before heading inside.

The lobby of the hotel was dead quiet and completely empty. Magnus wandered around the perimeter before going up to the front desk and ringing the bell.

“ _Shit!_ ” Someone's head collided with the underside of the desk, and a woman straightened up, rubbing her neck and scowling. “Dammit,” she muttered, before catching a glimpse of Magnus. “Oh. Oh god, _sorry._ Sorry, I was looking for something and I got distracted digging all the papers out from under here, I didn't even hear you come in.”

Magnus swallowed. An entire baseball felt like it was suddenly lodged in his throat. Every pore in his body seemed to open up and he felt _drenched_ almost instantly.

She was the absolute most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was small and _curved_ with a thickness about her that Magnus _liked_. The brown skin of her arms contrasted with the gold bangles that rustled when she moved, and her hair was delicately braided and stacked on top of her head.

“...Sir?”

“I, uh, I need a room.”

“Alright. Your name?”

“Magnus Burnsides.”

She nodded and flipped through a book on the desk, making a few notes before turning to the wall of keys behind her. “Come with me,” she said, and led him down the hall toward a set of stairs. On the third floor they stopped, and she unlocked room 324 and pushed the door open. “It's all yours. Any idea how long you'll be staying?”

 _Forever, maybe._ “Not sure,” he said. “My bus broke down, and there's nothing in or out for the rest of the week, but...I'm sort of looking for a place to plant some roots.”

“Well, Raven's Roost is a great town.” She said this with the air of someone who'd been _taught_ to say it a thousand times. “I'm sure you'll love it.” She handed him his key.

“Yeah. I'm – hey.” He called after her as she turned to go. “What's your name?”

She pointed to her tag – _Julia W._

“Julia,” he said.

“Julia,” she repeated.

“It's good to meet you,” Magnus said.

“And you, Mr. Burnsides.” And then she left.

 

* * *

 

Upstairs in the apartment, Magnus tossed and turned through a fitful nap before losing whatever measly bit of dinner he'd managed to choke down the night before. He tried to watch something, but fell asleep during that, only to wake up in a sweat and completely unsure of where he was. His fever hadn't budged. He felt like he needed an ice bath.

Julia called at noon to check on him and let him know Avi was coming up with soup.

“You have to eat a little,” she added. “You can't just drink Gatorade all day.”

“I'm replenishing my electrolytes.”

“Okay, Dr. Burnsides. Take it easy on the WebMD pages, alright?”

“Maybe I have cancer. It told me I might have cancer.”

She sighed. “Avi's on his way, Magnus. Behave yourself, please?”

“Never,” he said, and hung up.

 

* * *

 

What Magnus was good at, before he was trying to pretend to be good at opening up a restaurant or uprooting their lives, was woodcarving. Old school hobby, he knew that. It was peaceful, it was something to keep his hands busy. He liked that he could make something and then _sit_ in it, or sleep on it, or _put things in it._

It made the world a better place. A more useful place.

Struck suddenly by Julia W. and her pearl earrings and sensible shoes and tendency to swear when she thought no one was looking, Magnus set out to make his place at Raven's Roost. He had no idea if it was going to take or not – he'd tried settling down in lots of places, but none had really taken to him.

Magnus walked into the Hammer and Tong with the bar set pretty low. He'd never really been able to make any of this work, so he wasn't sure why he had convinced himself a beautiful girl could change it. But he stood there in the shop, waiting for someone to realize he was there, and he felt at ease about his decision.

Stephen Waxman was a broad shouldered man with a burgeoning belly and wide, calloused hands. He gave Magnus a tour of the shop and agreed that it _would_ be nice for some more help around the place. He even gave Magnus a little job to do.

“Make me something,” he said. “Something easy, something you can do right here, with what I've got.” He gestured toward the workshop. “Pick anything, don't matter to me.”

Magnus nodded, looking around for what might work. He settled on a hefty block about a foot long and the necessary tools. It took him about an hour, but when he was done, he had a roughly carved wooden duck sitting on the table. Stephen picked it up.

“Like your style, son. Good strokes on the grain here, really brings out some of the color. I think once it's sanded it'll look more refined, but I like it.” He set it on the counter and smiled. “It's good.”

The door opened then, the bell ringing overhead. Magnus turned, and silhouetted in the doorway, afternoon sun illuminating her – was Julia W.

She seemed confused as she let the door swing shut behind her, glancing between the two of them. “...What's going on?”

“Oh, Mr. Burnsides here was just about to tell me if he'd like to try working in the shop for a few weeks, see how he likes it.”

Julia folded her arms over her chest. “Was he, now?”

“Sure.” Stephen frowned. “You two know one another.”

“Professionally,” she said. “He's staying at the hotel. Daddy, do you--” She stopped, looked at the counter. “What's this?”

“It's a duck,” Magnus said. God he sounded ridiculous. “I mean obviously it's a duck, you knew that, I just--”

“It's sweet,” Julia said, lifting it. “Did you make this?”

“Uh, yes.”

She nodded. “I like it.” She looked at her father. “Daddy can you drop off some of the lacquer you use at the hotel? The tables and counters are looking grim and Teddy says he'd buy you a few beers tomorrow night if you let him use your shine.”

“Sure.” Stephen ducked under the counter and came up with a small wooden box. “Here. Have Magnus do it.”

“Um, okay.”

Julia sighed. “Sure, doesn't matter who does it, so long as it gets done.” She hiked her bag over her shoulder and headed toward the door. Pausing, she turned and said, “You comin'?”

Magnus nodded. “Yes, ma'am.”

Julia grinned. “I think I like this one. You should keep him around for a while.”

 

* * *

 

“Jules said Avi was bringing it.”

“Well, tough shit you got me.” Taako said the bowl down on the table. “Avi got caught up in a party of twelve. I needed a change of scenery. My sister and Barry are trying to pretend they're 'taking it slow' and if she looks _longingly_ up at the bar one more time I'll _just_ \--” Taako sighed, hands planted on either hip, shaking his head. “Anyway, I thought I'd make sure you weren't, like, dead. Merle says he's got a sure-fire cold cure, but I seriously _would not_ trust anything that man cooks in the kitchen. He microwaves _fish._ ”

“I remember.”

Taako sighed. “Well I gotta get downstairs. I'm sure all twelve of those clowns want like _steak_ or something.”

“Be a real shame if you had to do your job,” Magnus said.

“Wouldn't it though?” Taako grinned. “Don't die up here, alright? We need you.” And he turned and headed down the stairs back to the kitchen.

Magnus blinked.

People shouldn't have been allowed to say absolutely devastating things to you when you're feverish. He sat at the table and forced himself to eat. When he had drained the last of the broth, Magnus set down the bowl, dragged himself into the bedroom, and passed out on the bed.

He slept for nine hours.

It was almost eleven when he woke, listening to the sounds of Julia getting out of the shower. When she opened the bathroom door, he was staring blearily at her, feeling lost and out of time and space. “I got into a wine-cident,” she said sheepishly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't a big deal.” She crossed the room to him, towel wrapped around her chest just under her arms, and kissed his forehead. “You should go back to sleep.”

“I should.”

“Taako said you seemed pretty out of it.”

“Hey, can we not talk about Taako when you're mostly naked?”

Julia laughed. “Sure,” she said, and dropped the towel.

Magnus prayed for good health, but instead he fell back asleep as she was picking out a pair of underwear from the drawer.

When he woke again, she was sleeping in the bed next to him, snoring softly. The clock on the bedside table read _4:17_ in bright green letters, and suddenly Magnus was wide awake. His flu medicine had worn off, but he was starting to feel better. Better enough to get up and walk without falling over.

In the end, he settled into his chair in the living room, and began to whittle a little duck from a small block of wood he'd bought earlier that week at the craft store when they'd been looking for something to put at the hostess's stand. Lucretia had suggested an orchid, but it was an obvious and marked difference between her and Julia that Magnus's wife chose sunflowers instead.

Lucretia did not disapprove, and Magnus had the idea, as he often did, that her suggestions on certain topics were never _meant_ to be followed.

He thought of sunflowers as he whittled, and soon a small, rough duck sat in his hands. The clock on the stove read _6:22_. Magnus leaned back in his hair, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

Magnus kept staying in the hotel, until Stephen found out and forced him to move into the room above the shop, just until he could get back on his feet. It was around this time that Julia started taking her lunch breaks in the back, perched on a stool and holding her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches close to her chest while she watched Magnus sand chairs and tables and coat them in lacquer.

It was a few weeks into this that Magnus caught her staring, and for the first time, she didn't look away.

“...What?”

“I'm just...thinking,” she said, and popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth.

“About?”

“About how long it's going to take for you to ask me out.” She stood on her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder. “If you're worried about my dad, you shouldn't be. He likes you.”

“I'm...I'm not worried.”

“Then it's me? You don't want to take me out?”

“No! I mean, yes. I mean--” Magnus tried to lean casually on his work bench and _missed_ spectacularly. “I do want to. Take you out, I mean.”

She nodded. “Alright. How about on Friday, after my shift?”

“Friday after your shift.”

“Great.” She gave him a smile and headed out, waving to Stephen as she shouldered open the door. Her father poked his head into the back.

“She's always been a girl who knows what she wants.”

Magnus turned a delightfully hot shade of red and went back to his work.

When Friday came, Julia emerged from the lobby of the Royal Roost wearing a white blouse tucked into a brown skirt, her curls pulled away from her face. She stopped in front of him and grinned. “You clean up nice, Mr. Burnsides.”

“Well, I gave it my best shot.” And, figuring the only way from here was honestly up and over the god damn moon, he extended his arm. “How does fish and chips sound?”

“Fish and chips sounds _delightful._ ” And she took his arm, and she smiled wider.

And Magnus fell _hard._

 

**\- - -**

 

He learned a lot of things about Julia Waxman those first few dates. He learned she did not have a lot of energy for other people, and that she was decidedly not a hugger. That she entertained his arm in hers half the time was, he realized, a feat. And it made Magnus fall in love just a little bit more.

When she took his hand on her own, no offer required – Magnus _swooned._

He learned she loved to cook, and that she had, like Magnus, collected her mother and grandmother's recipes over the years and kept them in a box in the kitchen, for rainy days.

“I do the same thing!”

“Liar,” she teased.

“No, really, you need to come upstairs and--” Magnus froze. She fixed him with a _look_ , her brow lifted exquisitely. “Well you don't _need_ to do anything.”

“It's alright,” she said, and drained her wine glass, which was somehow just...absolutely filthy. Magnus's entire body twitched. “I appreciate the invitation.”

After, he walked her home, every nerve aware of what he wanted. He was going to need to go home and take care of _that_ on his own, and then the guilt trip would take him days to get over, and –

“Magnus?”

“Hm?”

Julia stopped on the front stairs of her apartment building and looked at him, taking his hands in hers. “I really want you to come upstairs and look at my recipe collection. _Really_ , I do.” She took a step closer. “But I also want you to come upstairs because I...” She stepped closer, letting go of his hands to press her own to his chest. Finger splayed over his shirt, she leaned close and closed here eyes. “I think about you all the time, and I think about what it might feel like if you--”

Magnus leaned down, and he nearly kissed her, his lips stopping just before hers as he watched her mouth fall open, and heard her breath catch.

“ _Magnus._ ”

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, and she was already nodding, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him in, sealing her lips to his and gripping the sleeve of his button up tight in her fingers.

Magnus followed her upstairs, and the rest of their lives eventually followed.

 

* * *

 

“Magnus... _Magnus._ ” He started in his chair and looked up. He was always surprised to find her there, or at least it felt that way. He had been so lucky that she'd married him in the first place, that she'd said yes as he knelt by their bed one morning and kissed him until all he could think about was _her._

Julia was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him, right after the faulty engine that left him stranded in her hometown.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost ten.” She set some soup and toast on the coffee table. “Taako's orders. He also said keep your sick face out of his kitchen.”

“No argument from me.” Magnus stretched in the chair. “Everything okay?”

“Everything's fine. You seem better, too, but I want you to rest again today.”

“I should really go down.”

“Honey.” She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “You look terrible. I'm just gonna say it.”

“Rude, _wife._ ”

“Well, it's the truth, _husband._ ” She popped a package of cold and flu medicine and left it next to his soup. “Feel better, okay? I'm gonna call it an early night so we can go to bed together,” she added. “Lucretia can handle herself.” She paused. “Also I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

Julia laughed. “We're a mess without each other, aren't we?”

“Completely.” Magnus pulled her down and into his lap. “Just the worst.”

“You're sick and you need to eat something and take another nap.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “We can get to all the other parts of your checklist when you've got your stamina back, big boy.”

“That's a terrible nickname.”

“Well, you're the one who yanked me into your lap like a country music video.” She hauled herself up. “I love you and I am begging you to rest.” She blew him a kiss. “Sweet dreams.”

Magnus sighed. “It's not even _eleven!_ ” he called after her.

“Can't help it!” she yelled up the stairs, and the door slammed behind her.

 

* * *

 

“ _Hey, Jules, it's your dad again. Listen, I know things got tense a couple weeks ago, and I know you're not really feeling up to talking to folks right now, but...I do miss you. I miss your voice, kiddo. Miss you and Magnus being here a whole bunch. But I didn't call to say that because I want you to leave everything in the city behind. You two made the right choice, sweetheart. You did what you needed to do for you and...and I want you to know I support you. Your mom...she'd have been real proud of you. I promise. So just ignore what everyone else back home is sayin', and you...you stay right where you are. You've got Magnus so...I know you're happy._ ”

 

* * *

 

He felt her crawl into bed and tuck herself against him. Down below, the restaurant still sounded alive, but he was glad to have her.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“You were the sick one.”

“...You know what I mean.”

Magnus felt her grow tense next to him. His Julia had never been one to wax poetic about her feelings, or express her frustrations to any articulate end. She kept to herself, she didn't always reach out – and it was always the biggest difference between them. But it made them work, too. Magnus was loud, and everyone knew what he felt the moment he felt it. Julia kept their joint marital feelings from spilling over into the business of their friends and Magnus made sure they showed up to things they were supposed to show up for. But he always knew when she was ready to leave, and Julia always knew when Magnus needed to talk.

It worked.

Right now, it wasn't working.

“Jules--”

“I told you. I don't...we don't need to discuss this.”

“You're hurting.”

She sniffed. “I'll...I'll get better.”

“Please don't shut this out.”

“We're so busy Magnus.” She rolled away from him, staring at the ceiling. “We don't have time to talk about our feelings on _this_ particular issue.”

“Your dad left a message on the machine.”

She nodded. “I know. I heard.”

“He cares.”

“I know that, too.” Julia exhaled, rolling to rest her arm on his chest. “It's so easy to touch you,” she murmured. “It always has been. I don't know why the rest of the world makes it so hard when you...you just make it so easy.” Magnus moved to draw her in, pausing and waiting. She nodded, and let him hold her close. “You're so easy to love. Why am I so difficult?”

“You aren't. I love you.”

“You love easy, too, Magnus.”

He buried his face in her neck, inhaled as best he could. “I love _you_ ,” he said. “And we made the right choice.”

Julia nodded, absently carding her fingers through his hair. “I know.”

They fell asleep like that, wrapped around one another, a secret they kept between themselves. Magnus woke in the morning and she was gone, but he was now ordered to march himself downstairs and working the counter at least until lunch. _All hands on deck, buddy_ , her note on the pillow read, and Magnus showered and dressed before _bolting_ downstairs.

Julia's family wanted them back. Wanted them to forget all of this and leave it behind.

Standing side by side, feeling her hip-check him as she walked past, knowing she was looking at him and feeling as in love as he did – it made the message on the phone and all the other ones, long since deleted, seem so far away, like it didn't matter.

And, Magnus reasoned, with all of this, with one another and the little family they were building here – it really, truly, didn't.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "i wanna be the one" by fun.


	5. slow (lup)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup renegotiates her philosophy on love. Taako gets reasonable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnnd it's back! really wanted to get a lup chapter in here, and i'm got some stuff planned for sloane/hurley, cary/killian, and something for avi, once i get my feelings sorted. enjoy!

_And for once there is nothing up my sleeve_   
_Just some scars from a life that used to trouble me_

 

* * *

 

“ _Anyway,” he said, “I...like you a lot. But last week was just...too fast for me. I don't want to make you think I don't want to try again, I just--”_

“ _Barry. Honey. We're cool.”_

“ _...We are?”_

“ _Yeah,” she lied. “We're totally, a hundred percent cool.”_

 

* * *

 

Lup wasn't cool. She was burning up. She and her brother had come in early to bake bread for the week and the kitchen was sweltering. Taako was messing with sourdough starters in the corner, griping about yeast and moisture and Lup was putting the last loaf onto the counter to go out to the front for lunch.

“Taako, babe?”

“Yeah.”

“I don't care.”

He looked at her, attempted to feign insult, and stopped. “What's _wrong_ with you?” he said.

“Nothing. It's a million fucking degrees in here, and I shouldn't have worn eye liner.”

“Not that shade,” he said, narrowly avoiding a stray piece of burnt crust she lobbed at him. “But seriously. What's the matter with you?” He narrowed his eyes. “It's him, isn't it?”

“It's not.”

“It is. You've been weird since the couch thing.”

“Stop bringing up the couch thing.”

Taako folded his arms over his chest. “No can do. The two of you defiled my sofa.”

“Okay, first off, that's _our_ sofa. And second, we bought it at a dead woman's estate sale _on the cheap_ which means she either died on it or someone _else_ did. And third, I don't get _hung up_ on men. Or ladies,” she added. “That's not my style.”

Taako shrugged. “There's always room for an exception.”

“Like with you and the doctor of death.”

“Like me and the doctor of death,” he agreed.

Lup hated it when she _wanted_ to pick a fight and instead Taako was the fucking _reasonable_ one. Bickering with her brother about their collectively poor taste in partners was one of her favorite pastimes, but Taako had recently snagged himself an incredibly qualified candidate, and Lup had just been waitlisted by a guy named Barry _fucking_ Bluejeans.

As they moved into the lunch hour, she reasoned with herself.

He wasn't _that_ cute, really. He just had, you know, dreamy eyes and a nice butt and really great hair. He was one giant nerd alert, she reasoned, but his glasses made him look clever (which he was) and reasonable (which he also was).

Lup was clever.

Reasonable? Not where Barry was concerned. For some unknowable, unfathomable, _unacceptable_ reason – she had been semi-rejected in favor of “starting out as friends” and “taking it slow” – and she was absolutely furious about it.

Any other time, she fucking _knew_ – she'd be fine.

“Must be something special about him,” Taako said. “Otherwise you'd have moved on. Tried to seduce Sloane _and_ Hurley simultaneously. Convinced Magnus and Julia to share.”

“All of that could still happen.”

“Oblivious to each other, steadfastly monogamous, in that order.”

“You don't know that.”

“Um, I do.”

She sighed. “He's just really, _really_ cute.”

“That's not everything.”

“Sure it is.”

“No,” Taako said. “It's not.”

 

* * *

 

No one was born with more confidence than Lup. This was a fact that had been declared by their aunt years ago. Taako was a close second, but he doubted himself a minute too long, every so often. Lup never stopped. She didn't hesitate. This, she argued, was what made her the more adventurous of the two, even though Taako never had to be talked into much of anything where his sister was concerned, and half the time it was _his_ crazy plan they were following through on in the first place.

But Lup – she liked to _act._ She liked to know what she was going to do and then do it.

She'd come out when they were kids, announcing at the table one morning that the next person to call her a boy or misgender her was getting _slapped_. Her aunt told her not to threaten people at the table, but she never did either of those things ever after that. It was easy for Taako, too. They knew each other better than anyone else, so she knew he'd pick up what she was putting down quicker than all the others. To Lup, Taako was the cleverest creature alive. They balanced one another. When school was hard and teachers and administrators wouldn't just _do_ what she wanted them to do – Taako made it okay.

They were seventeen when their aunt died, and that was the year the world stopped caring. That was the year they became alone. Without family. Without a rock to hold onto. Just the two of them, floating at sea, clinging to one another until an opportunity came along. Opportunities were rare. They grabbed them together, and hung on for dear life.

But they got older, and opportunities suddenly became less about the two of them and more about one of them. They knew that the Duck was probably the last time they'd get hired in tandem, because Lup knew – someone was going to fall in love with her brother, and they'd finally part. Not forever, and never very far, but she knew. Taako was a catch. Someone would take the bait sooner or later.

As for herself – well, Lup didn't like going into her personal philosophies on love, especially not with herself – but it could be summarized pretty easily. You either go big, or you go home. There were no small catches. Meeting someone nice, smooching their face for a while – that was one thing. But Lup did nothing in half measures, and that included falling in love.

And so, when Barry Bluejeans told her her liked her, he just...wanted to take it slow, Lup knew.

She was completely, utterly, and royally screwed.

 

* * *

 

“I, uh, I made you this.”

Lup looked up. They'd closed down twenty minutes ago, and everyone was excited. It was the six month mark. Six months of being open, with only a few, completely okay hiccups along the way. Julia and Magnus threw them an after-shift party, Lucretia got everyone something tasteful, and Taako made _macarons_.

Barry made her a drink.

“Oh.” She looked into the cup.

“You, uh, you said you liked mint.”

“...I do.”

“Right, so, this is a mule,” he said, “but there's some extra mint in there, and I started messing around with, like, infused ice? There's mint in the ice, too. And lavender.”

Lup looked into her cup. He was right. It was like a boozy bouquet.

(she wondered if he could hear her heart starting to hammer in her chest.)

“Thanks.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Hey, listen, I know, uh, I know last week I sort of threw you off a little. I just...want you to know that I've been really thinkin' about you a lot.”

Lup swallowed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Look, this probably isn't like an awesome place to talk about this, but I just want you to know that I'm not...I'm not trying to push you away. I'm serious.”

She looked into her cup. “I don't think you're trying to push me away.”

“You've gotten distant,” he said.

“You told me you wanted to take it slow.”

“Yeah, but I didn't mean for you to stop talking to me.”

She looked up sharply. “I've been _working._ I'm right here in the kitchen, all you have to do is stick your head back here and say _hey._ ”

His cheeks reddened. “Um, yeah. No, yeah, you...you've got a point. I guess I haven't really...done my part.”

Lup sighed. This wasn't how she wanted this talk to go. She didn't want to shift blame and push him away. God, she wanted him _in her lap_ , and she could still remember the way his stubble scraped her jaw, and how much she'd _wanted_ him that day, and how he'd laughed under her sheets and let her wear his glasses and –

“ _Alright, alright._ Party's over.” Magnus was grinning ear to ear. “Me and the missus need to go upstairs and celebrate.”

Taako pulled a face. “ _Gross._ ”

Julia sighed, prying a bottle from Magnus's hand. “You're drunk, babe.”

“I _am_ ,” he said, and let her start pulling him toward the stairs in the back. “ _Goodnight!_ ”

Everyone waved, while Barry stayed behind to straighten up.

“Lup.” Taako stood by the door. “You comin'?”

“I--”

“I can take her home,” Barry said. “I've just gotta clean some stuff up.”

Taako looked between them, his brow telegraphing messages they could probably hear in _Phandalin._

“Alright,” he said. “Text me when you get in.” And he gave her a smile, the kind that was sort of just for her, and let the door swing shut behind him.

Lup turned on her stool.

“So.”

Barry cleared his throat. “You...want another drink?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He mixed something up for her, and it was cool like the last one, minty and sweet on her tongue. “You know I think you're beautiful, right?”

“Barry, hon, when you say those things, it doesn't really tell me that you wanna _take it slow._ ”

“Right.”

“But keep saying them,” she said quickly. “I like hearing them.”

He chuckled. “Sure. Sorry,” he added.

“Stop apologize to me. It's not attractive.”

“Sor--” He pressed his lips together. “Right.”

Lup sighed. “Do you need to lay it out for me, then? Is it about the couch? I'm sorry about the couch.”

“No! No, I had...I had a great time on the couch.” He looked right at her. She knew he wasn't lying. “I just...the couch happened so fast and I've never...I've never _moved_ that quick before. I don't know, it freaked me out, I guess, later. When I thought about it. Like, that day I spent with you was amazing, and doing what we did after was perfect. It was natural. I _wanted_ it.” He leaned forward. “And you were just...so honest and I loved that and...” He looked down. “Lup, I think you're one of the most incredible people I've ever met. I'm just afraid that if I move this too fast, I'm gonna fuck it up, and then I lose a friend and someone that maybe I could...someone I could _love._ You know?”

She swallowed. Stuck in place. The glass in her hand was so cold, and she wanted to _run._

She wanted to stay.

She him to know that every second that passed that they weren't together was a fucking second _wasted._

Lup wanted a lot of things.

But she let him drive her home, and that was that.

 

* * *

 

(in the dark she'd told him so many things, and he'd been so good and sweet and his glasses had been off and he'd tucked a stray curl behind her ear and told her that he liked doing this with her and he felt like he was afraid he'd never be able to get out of that bed ever again.

lup could have kept him, then.

but she let him walk away.)

 

* * *

 

“Did he kiss you?” Taako asked quietly, into the dark. Lup stood in the doorway to his room, fiddling with her housekeys.

“No,” she said quietly.

“He must really like you.”

“That's not really what that says.”

She saw her brother sit up and she went to him, perching herself on the end of his bed. Taako leaned forward, wrapped his arms around his knees. “He doesn't want you to think you're just...something to have for a while.” He closed his eyes. “That's what you do, when you really, _really_ like someone.”

“Since when did you become the fucking relationship guru.”

“Kravitz and I haven't boned,” he said suddenly.

Lup blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah. We haven't...really done much of that at all.”

She swallowed. “What...do you do, then?”

“We talk. He wants me to take some time off and go to this conference with him in a few months. I bake for him. He works nights sometimes, so we get breakfast.”

Lup nodded. She...hadn't known that. Anytime Taako was able to steal away and be with Kravtiz she just assumed...

“I really like him,” Taako said quietly.

“Yeah. You...you must.”

“Did you...think you were just gonna be alone? Forever?”

“No,” she said. The tear that splashed onto her knuckles surprised her. “No, of course not, dingus.” She wiped her cheek. “I just...god it sounds _stupid._ ”

“Tell me.”

“I've _told you_ ,” she said.

And even in the dark, she saw him smile. “Right. You're waiting for The One.”

“I am _waiting_ for the _The One._ ”

He laughed. “I love it. It's great.”

“I know you do.”

“You think Barry's the one?”

“What? No, I didn't say that.”

Taako shrugged. “You didn't have to.”

Lup groaned. “ _Ugh_ , you're fucking impossible to deal with when you're all romanced and _happy_ , you little shit.” She got up. “I'm going to bed.”

“Alright.” He fell back against his pillows. “Hey,” he called after her.

“ _What?_ ”

“I love you, doofus.”

Lup stopped, bracing herself on the door frame. “Yeah, I love you, too, nerd,” she said, before heading to her room.

 

* * *

 

“ _Order up!_ ” she called. Avi's face appeared. “Let's move this, we're platin', we haven't got all day.”

“Hurley's got another table of sixteen, she's backed up pretty bad.”

“You be that action hero Avi,” Taako called out. “You can do it, bud.”

“Your support means the world,” he drawled, and grabbed the plates. And then Lup heard him, distinctly say, “Sorry, Barry,” and keep going.

She wished he didn't wear the kind of cologne that she could pick out of a perfume counter line-up. It was a bartender thing, she knew, but...still.

“You guys need anything back here?”

Taako turned as Lup glanced over her shoulder. “Barry! You grace us with your presence, my dude.” He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Could you treat us to a couple of beers? It's late, and what Davenport doesn't know can't kill him.”

“Uh, sure.” Barry grinned, and flashed Lup a quick thumbs up.

If this was him making an effort...well.

Color her fucking impressed.

He came back with two beers, handed one off to Taako and said, “Don't...tell.”

She finally turned and took it from him, fingers wrapping around the neck as she tipped it back and took a healthy drink.

“Wouldn't dream of it, babe,” she said, and went back to carving a duck.

 

* * *

 

On a Sunday afternoon, he took her hand.

“This is as fast as I can go right now.”

“It's okay.”

“Is it?” He squinted at her as the sunlight refracted through his glasses. “Because you seem kinda...well. Kinda pissed at me.”

“I'm not. I'm just...working some stuff out,” she said. Lup glanced down at her shoes. “My brother is...falling for this guy really fast. And I don't think it's going to implode on either of them any time soon. I think...it's the real deal.”

“Kravitz is a nice dude.”

Lup nodded. “He is. And I just...want what's best for my brother, so if he's happy then that's great. It just...means what I always knew it would mean.” She laughed. “I always knew someone would get to him before me, you know?”

“Don't sell yourself so short.”

“No, it's just...I'm the one who's been waiting for someone to find me. Taako...kinda goes after what he wants. I've been waiting for...for The One.”

“The One.”

“Right.” She felt his grip loosen. “Barry--”

“I get it,” he said. “I...Look, I know I'm nothing special--”

“Shut up,” she snapped, and gripped his hands tighter. “You're not listening, you're...god, _men._ ”

“Um. We're sorry?”

“You should be,” she said. “But that's beside the point. Look I'm gonna be frank with you, Bluejeans. I think you could be The One. I don't know how to explain that to you without freaking you out, but I--”

She knew it was coming. She completely and totally knew it was coming and then –

It was just a quick peck, the most chaste kiss she'd ever been given, considering where she and the man in front of her had been just a couple of months before.

“I think you're incredible,” he said. “And I'll tell you that whenever you need to hear it, and even when you don't.”

“You don't _know me_ ,” Lup whispered. “You...you and I just met!”

“But you wanted me to go with you to the festival. You said Taako's the one who goes after what he wants, but...it was you who asked me. You took me to your house. You kissed me first, you took me into your room, you--” Barry stopped. “Maybe _that's_ how you find The One, you know?” He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. “Maybe it's the one you finally go after.”

Lup blinked. Had this _dork_ just taken her _love philosophy_ to new heights?

“Oh.”

“I know that sounds stupid--”

“No,” she said. “It's...it's nice.” She swallowed. “Listen if this is as fast as you can go then...then I'm slowin' down, okay?”

“...Seriously?”

Lup nodded. “Yeah, I'm gonna take the long way around on this one, if that's what it takes. You're...fuck, Barry, you're something else.”

His cheeks went red. _God_ she wanted to kiss him.

But it was time to go to work, and honestly?

Holding his hands next to the dumpster in the back parking lot was kind of amazing, even if it did reek, just a little.

“Something good, I hope?”

Lup grinned, and she let herself lift his hand to her lips and press a quick kiss to his knuckles. “Yeah,” she said. “Something _amazing._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "sight of the sun" by fun.


	6. sunflowers (sloane)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sloane looks on fondly, Lup and Barry conspire. Lucretia gives out advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh gosh i've been so excited to get to these two. i love them. so much. cute girls.

_So I call your name, cross my fingers_   
_Uncross the others, hesitate_

 

* * *

 

Sloane had discovered Magnus and Julia Burnsides on accident. She'd honestly been heading for a job interview somewhere else. A chain place, pizza and pasta, crappy beer on tap, that sort of thing. But it paid, and it was a job, and she was trying to work herself up and out of that hostess life and start serving. The tips would be substantial, she figured, if she wound up at a well-to-do franchise, all her serving friends said so.

Where she wanted to start and where she actually wound up were two very different places.

 _The Joyful Duck_ had no signage, just the numbers on the outside that happened to be the reverse of the pizza place down the way. She swallowed, tucked her folder with her resume under her arm, and shouldered the door open.

The place was empty. Not what she was expecting out of a supposedly busy pizza, beer, wings, 'n all place at twelve in the afternoon. She glanced around, stepping further inside before calling out, “Hello?”

“ _We're not open yet!_ ” a woman shouted back, before appearing around the corner. “Seriously, and we're not a dry cleaner anymore, Magnus only hemmed one pair of pants because that man was a _disaster_ \--” The woman stopped. “Oh. Hello.”

“Um, hi. I'm...Sloane? I'm here for an interview?”

The woman smiled. “Oh, hon, sorry. I don't have any scheduled. Whatcha lookin' for?”

“Um. Fratelli's.”

“Oh, right. That's up the street.”

Sloane nodded. “Right, sorry. Got the numbers switched up.” She glanced around. “Are you...a restaurant?”

“We're something. I'm Julia.” They shook hands. Julia glanced at the folder. “You a server?”

“Hostess. Not enough experience.”

“I feel that,” she muttered. “Well, if the pizza joint doesn't work out, come on back down.” She glanced behind her as a man came in from the back and smiled. “This is my husband Magnus.”

He waved. “Hello!”

“Magnus, honey, this is Sloane. She's interviewing at Fratelli's”

“ _Ech._ ”

“ _Magnus._ ”

“What? It's shitty pizza, we had it our first night here.”

“That's not the point.”

“Oh, it's okay.” Sloane straightened. “I've had it, I know it's kind of crappy. Thanks for the directions.”

Julia smiled and opened the door for her. “Sure thing. Hey, like I said, if it's not the place for you, come on down, we could use the help.”

“Sure.” Sloane gave her a wave and headed up the street.

She never made it to Fratelli's. She never even made it up the first block.

She turned right around and went back.

Sloane could definitely tell you why. She's got a laundry list of reasons – the Burnsides were immediately pleasant, she liked the old floors and the lights. She liked that she could smell bread baking and that Magnus had come and put a hand on his wife's shoulder. She liked that they both looked like they'd been working all day.

But the thing that struck her was something less...tangible.

It was just the fact that, at Fratelli's, she could see herself moving on or moving up, but never really moving _anywhere_.

At the Duck, she saw the potential for her life to change. She just didn't know how.

Not yet.

 

* * *

 

 **hurley:** heard about your new gig! congrats!  
 **sloane:** thanks~ how's the pub?  
 **hurley:** it's okay  
 **sloane:** sounds not okay?  
 **hurley:** could be better  
 **sloane:** i think i might be able to help

 

* * *

 

“Hey,” Magnus said, shifting the weight of the box in his arms. “Thanks for sending Hurley our way, she's great in there.” He gave her a grin and kept going.

Sloane nodded.

 _Yeah_ , she wanted to say, peering into the dining room. _Not a problem at all._

“Friends” is a pretty loose term for what she and Hurley were before this. Their relationship consisted mostly of the occasional text to try and convince the other to go out, and Hurley coming up to the hostess stand to check on her section. Sloane had been trying to make friends ever since she moved to Neverwinter from Goldcliff, and that Hurley had moved from the exact same place just a few months before her instantly connected them. Sloane was just...always wanting more.

And so when Hurley needed a change of scenery...Sloane made it happen.

Maybe it was...selfish, to want to have her there, someone she knew, someone she liked, someone she wanted to know _better –_

But if it was selfish to just want to be near someone, and for them to be happy in the long run anyway, then Sloane was fine with that.

She was absolutely fine with that.

 

* * *

 

“Thank you for calling _The_ _Joyful Duck_ , this is Sloane, how may I help you?”

“ _Reservation for thirty, please.”_

Sloane balked. “Um.”

“ _Reservation for thirty._ ”

“Right. I heard you. Let me just check--”

“ _\--no, she's checking. Look can you do that for me or not._ ”

“I've got to check with my manager, our website says we do parties no larger than twenty.”

“ _So it's just ten more, it's not a big deal. Fucking hell._ ”

“Please don't swear. I'll just go check--”

“ _Yeah, you do that._ ”

Sloane sighed and put them on hold. Julia and Magnus were upstairs, getting ready for dinner service. She found Lucretia pouring over notes at the bar and said, “I've got someone on hold who wants to do a party of thirty.”

“Not tonight,” Lucretia said, not even looking up. “We've got a wedding rehearsal reservation at eight. That'll take up the entire back room, and _that's_ only seventeen,” she added. She finally looked at Sloane over her glasses. “Tell them we can try for tomorrow, but I can't make promises.”

Sloane sighed and leaned over the bar to pick up the phone. “When were you trying to book?”

“ _Tonight._ ”

“Unfortunately, we can't. We have a previous reservation--”

“ _So tomorrow._ ”

Sloane covered the bottom of the phone with her hand and mouthed _tomorrow?_ to Lucretia.

“Still thirty?” Sloane nodded. “I'll need more that a day ahead of time for that. That's practically a catered event.”

Sloane relayed the messaged.

“ _You gotta be fucking kidding me. You're supposed to be the nicest restaurant in town, and fucking accommodating, according to your fucking Yelp reviews. I got family coming into town, fucking promised them we'd go here, and you're fucking telling me that you're not gonna fucking--_ ”

Lucretia pulled the phone out of her hand.

The exchange that followed was...awe inspiring. Sloane stood, transfixed. Barry had just walked in, catching the tail in of it all, and he couldn't even move. Taako and Lup were crowded into the doorway of the kitchen, and Merle and Hurley stood, frozen, as they tied their aprons.

Lucretia set the phone down. “ _That_ won't be a problem again.” She turned to Sloane. “You're better than that,” she said. “Don't let anyone speak to you that way. You're the first voice people hear when they call. Let it be strong. Agreed?”

“Um, yes. Yes, ma'am.”

“Good. I don't fight battles for others very often, but you're _better_ than some foul mouthed _cretin_ who thinks they can bully their way into what is _about_ to be an award winning establishment.”

“Award?” Julia stepped into the room. “What's going on here?”

Lucretia smiled. “I couldn't help myself, I planned to tell everyone tonight. Davenport will be livid when he comes back from the _Tribune_ \--”

“ _Are we getting a Neverwinter Top Eats?_ ” Lup's voice nearly shattered glass. “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“We aren't just getting _any_ Top Eats,” Lucretia said.

Taako slammed a hand over his heart. “No. _No way._ ” He looked at his sister, and they shouted in unison, _“The gold fucking plate!_ ”

Julia looked between them. “What does that mean?”

“It's an award for outstanding service, ambiance, and flavor. When you achieve a pinnacle of all three, the _Tribune_ gives you a Golden Plate. Davenport went to the office to give them the details for the engraving. We...wanted it to be a surprise, but after what just happened--”

Julia frowned. “What happened?”

“Some _skeez_ gave Sloane a hard time on the phone, like she's not _perfect_ or something,” Taako said. “Lucretia put them in her place. As she _should_ , considering we are _golden plate certified._ ” He hip checked his sister. “Amazing, absolutely _amazing._ ” The two disappeared in the kitchen, and everyone got moving again.

Julia put a hand on Sloane's shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Oh.” She nodded. “I'm fine.”

“I was just telling Sloane that she needs to value her voice.” Lucretia closed her notes. “We've been commended for our outstanding service. That _starts_ ,” she said, tapping Sloane's shoulder,“with you.”

 

* * *

 

“Um, hey.”

Sloane looked up from cleaning menus, then down a bit. Hurley was small. Small and bright-eyed, brown skin with smatterings of freckles everywhere. She was gorgeous, Sloane had always thought, but it was these little moments when she got to take in all of her – her neat curls braided on top of her head, her Mary Janes that never seemed out of touch, always fit just right –

“Hey.”

Hurley smiled. “I'm...sorry someone was shitty to you on the phone.”

“Oh. It happens.”

“Right, I know. I mean, service industry, we've all been there.” She stepped closer to the counter. “First place I worked, before the pub? Seven business guys from downtown stiffed me on a tip after ordering beers for about four hours straight. I worked with Avi then, actually. They left a crappy note on the tip, said I, uh...wasn't _busty_ enough, considering the rest of the wait staff. Avi was pissed, he was my floor manager back then.”

“Avi used to be a manager?”

“Oh, yeah. He left that place to come work here, I guess. Must not have minded the pay cut. It was good to see him here, though. He's a good fit for the place. Probably better than me.”

Sloane set down the last menu. “You fit in great here.”

Hurley shrugged. “Maybe. I sometimes don't think I fit in anywhere.” She blushed and looked up at Sloane suddenly. “Sorry,” she said. “I know this isn't, like, open mic on my personal problems or anything.”

Sloane shook her head. “You can talk to me. Really, I don't mind.”

Hurley smiled, the kind that changed subjects. “I like your sunflowers. Your idea?”

“Julia's. She knows I like them.”

“That's really sweet of her. I'm a fan of roses, personally. Orange ones. I buy them for myself on my birthday every year.” She slid her hands into her pockets. “Have a good rest of your shift, okay?”

Sloane nodded and watched her walk away.

 

* * *

 

Before that night, Hurley had just been the kind of cute girl Julia and Magnus hired to work with Avi and Merle. The girl Sloane used to work with who texted her about coming out after shifts, or dropped hints about it whenever she came up to the hostess stand at the pub.

After, she was the completely beautiful girl who liked orange roses and apparently had to buy them for herself on her birthday, which Sloane considered to be a woeful tragedy.

She slipped into the office one afternoon and stole a look at the employee roster, and wrote down Hurley's birthday. And because Lup busted her, she wrote down everyone else's, too.

 

* * *

 

Their golden plate was...beautiful. It came with a very fancy display and a little ceremony at lunch time. They even got their picture in the paper.

Taako sighed. “You're gonna hang it in the dining room? Where just... _anyone_ could take it?”

“It's not going in the kitchen,” Magnus said, not even bothering to look up from his toolbox.

“I love it.” Julia reached down and yanked him up to her, planting a kiss on his lips. “I _love_ it.”

“We did good, didn't we babe?”

They continued to stare at their little success for a few more minutes while the rest of the staff dispersed. Sloane wound her way back up to the hostess stand, only to find it occupied.

By Lup.

“Uh, hey.”

Lup was leaning over the counter, inspecting her nails, her apron tossed over her shoulder. “What were you doing in the office the other day?”

“I told you. I was getting everyone's birthdays.”

“That's funny,” Lup said. “Because you _missed_ someone's.”

“No, I--”

She followed Lup's gaze to where Merle was wrapping cutlery for dinner, chatting away happily with Avi.

“Which...”

“The old one,” Lup said. “Today is Merle's birthday, and _you_ are the only one with an official list.”

“ _You_ know,” Sloane said back, snappier than she intended.

Lup looked impressed.

“Well,” she said. “It's either you genuinely forgot, _or_ you were in there for other reasons and you just made up some dumb excuse. So.”

“Why do you care?”

“I like to consider myself an amateur investigator. It's all those Caleb Cleveland novels.” Lup straightened. “Come on, tall, dark, and gorgeous. Spit it out.”

Sloane flushed. “It's stupid.”

“It's not. Believe me.”

She sighed. “I _was_ looking for birthdays. But just...one.”

“Hurley's, right?” Sloane nodded. “Cute. Also, figured.” Lup grinned. “What's up then? You two, you know. Exclusive?”

“We're not anything.”

“No moves made, nothin' like that?”

Sloane sighed. “ _No_ ,” she insisted. “No moves made.”

“ _Perfect_ ,” Lup said. “Because love, have I got a deal for you.”

 

* * *

 

The deal was...pretty simple, actually.

The Duck was closed that coming Monday for the Fall Festival. Magnus and Julia were running a table, Lup, Barry, and Taako were handling food and cocktails. Barry, sympathetic to the cause, declared loudly Sunday evening that he couldn't _believe_ his Wine Garden tickets were going to go to waste, and if only _someone_ who enjoyed wine and gardens and walking through gardens _with_ wine as much as he did could take them off his hands.

“Oh!” Hurley practically _back flipped._ “I'm taking sommelier classes!”

Barry handed one off to her. “Still have one more,” Lup said. Sloane thought her tone was a little melodramatic, but then most of what Lup said was that way. “Oh, Sloane, weren't you telling me you wanted to see the sculptures? They were gorgeous when we went through, right Bluejeans?”

“Impeccable,” he said, not even missing a beat.

Sloane really hoped the two of them made things official soon. They were sort of unstoppable together.

In the end, she took the ticket.

Avi's brows wiggled so hard they almost rolled off his head.

Sloane turned to Hurley and found her absolutely _grinning_ , clutching her ticket tight to her chest.

 

* * *

 

 **sloane:** you didn't have to buy tickets, i could have done that  
 **lup:** barry's idea, babe, don't look at me.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Sloane, thanks for those movie tickets.”

“No problem, Merle.”

“The kids love the movies,” he said, grinning as they milled around the Duck's table at the festival. “It was a real treat the other night.”

“Happy belated birthday,” Sloane said, and gave him a smile. Merle was a good guy, and she liked his kids. Plus, it eased her guilt. Only seven more birthdays to go before she had a complete set.

She sighed and leaned against the table, checking her watch. She finally saw Hurley push through the crowd, looking a little wild. “Sorry! Parking's crazy.”

“No problem. You ready?”

“ _So_ ready. You know there are three vineyards in Phandalin? Or just right outside, I guess. There was a little one in Goldcliff, did you ever go?”

“A few times.”

“Amazing. Totally amazing. They have some really interesting vintages on the program this year. I went through last time, it was so great. Total steal to snag these tickets, last time almost broke the bank for me. Should we get Barry something to thank him?”

“Sure,” she said, though Sloane didn't think they'd need to. He seemed to get a natural high off playing matchmaker, and the entire thing earned him a quick kiss on the cheek from Lup that morning, which he seemed to be remembering fondly still, an entire hour later.

Hurley cleared her throat. “I'm, um. I”m glad I'm doing this. With you. I'm glad to be doing this _with_ you.” She slid her hand into her back pocket for the ticket. “I feel like we never got to know one another at the pub. It was so big, you know?”

“You texted me.”

“That's not _knowing_ someone though.”

Sloane nodded. “Yeah...yeah that's true.” They handed off their tickets and got their wrist bands before heading through an ornate archway. Sloane really _did_ like the statue garden.

Hurley through around a lot of words and phrases Sloane didn't really understand, but she was happy to see _her_ so happy about something. Follow your bliss, or something, right? And besides, maybe she didn't understand where wine came from, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it. Half-way through, she was a little beyond buzzed, while Hurley had spent most of her time spitting wine _out_ and rinsing with a quick palette cleanser. She finally settled on a glass, and they made their way out of the garden, meandering through the festival in silence for a while.

Not a bad silence. Just...the kind you were allowed to enjoy with someone else.

Sloane felt Hurley's hand bump her own on occasion, and she fought the urge to hold it.

They weren't there yet. She wanted to be. They _could_ be.

She just needed more time.

And, besides. There was never a guarantee. Love was never a sure thing, _that_ was the only fact she could really know.

A dismal comfort, but a comfort all the same.

 

* * *

 

They stood in the parking lot that night, in that awkward bubble you lived in when someone walked you to your car and would have to walk to their own after. It was Hurley's car they stood by, and Sloane kept a respectable distances, gripping her keys in her hand.

“I had a great time,” she said.

Hurley smiled. “Me, too.”

“Maybe...maybe we could...”

“Yeah, like, something quieter, less me being a geek about wine.”

“That's okay,” Sloane said. “I...I like that. About you.”

Hurley ducked her head. “Thanks.”

“Maybe you could teach me.”

“Oh! Oh, do you want to learn things? There's so many vineyards close by where the tastings are _way_ cheaper--” She cut herself off. “It's late,” she said. “We can talk about that some other day.”

“Right. A rain check, then.”

“A rain check,” Hurley said, and grinned. “I'll see you tomorrow, Sloane.”

“Yeah, I'll see you then.” And she watched Hurley for just a second longer before making her way back to her own car as quickly as possible.

The second she got inside, she took a few deep, calming breaths, and smiled.

She wasn't going to _stop_ smiling.

She grabbed her phone.

 **lup:** good call, right?

Sloane almost laughed out loud. It wasn't just Barry who was probably going to get an early birthday present. She tapped back a reply and tossed her phone into her purse before heading out.

 **sloane:** yeah.  
 **sloane:** maybe life changing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "all the pretty girls" by fun.


	7. staccato (avi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avi deals with a new addition to the Duck. Lup conspires, again, and Lucretia is up to something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i'm starting to finally work out (seven chapters in) where this is gonna go. in the meantime, please enjoy while i throw every ship i can into the magic bullet that is this story??

_See, I made it out._  
_Out from under the sun._  
_And the truth is that I feel better_  
_Because I've forgiven everyone._

 

* * *

 

Magnus and Merle were maneuvering a baby grand into the dining room. Avi was intrigued. He was also just watching, for the most part. Moving heavy shit wasn't his thing.

“ _Jules!_ ” Magnus called. “This good?”

Julia stepped into the dining room, hand planted on either hip, and smiled. “It's perfect.”

Hurley sidled up next to Avi. “What's goin' on?”

“No idea,” he said, glancing over at Lucretia.

“An experiment,” she said, in the kind of tone she often used that did not invite further questioning. She always said those things with a sort of smile. Made Avi think she was up to something. “Julia, Johann will be here at five to check in with you and Davenport. I'll be gone the rest of the evening.”

Every single person in the dining room turned, at once, to stare.

Lucretia had never missed a dinner shift ever. In...the entire eight months or so that she and Davenport had been in charge of things. Still – it violated a rather firm precedent, one that Avi assumed was set in stone.

“Oh.” Julia seemed to shake everyone out of it. “Oh that's right,” she said. “You told me that.” Her acceptance of this still-flaming fact seemed to get everyone moving again. Hurley vanished, and Merle said, as he passed by, “Got a hot date, boss?”

Lucretia sighed the long-suffering sigh of people who had to deal with Merle while also really and truly enjoying him. Avi counted himself among that group. “No,” she said. “I have...a personal matter to attend to.” That tone was there again, but the half-smile was missing. Avi's natural-born curiosity started to kick into overdrive, but he held his tongue.

“Alright, alright!” Davenport stepped into the midst of all... _this_ and waved his hands. “Let's go people, we're about to open up again. The winter menu is _out_ so I expect my servers to know what's going on. Soup is wild mushroom and barley tonight. The special is the beet salad with lamb shanks and a side of seared cauliflower steaks, all of that drizzled with aged honey vinaigrette. Avi, you're sections A and B. Hurley, sections E and F, Merle, you're section D and you've got that reserved table in the back. If you need help snag me or Magnus. Push that winter beer menu, people! We've got a lot of bottles and Taako and Lup can't drink all of it when I'm not looking by themselves.”

Lup stuck her head out of the kitchen. “I have _no_ idea what you're talking about.”

Davenport sighed. “Alright, door's open in ten minutes. _Also!_ You may have noticed the piano. Thank you for your help in moving it, everyone one but Merle.”

“You're welcome,” Lup said, and disappeared.

“We're sponsoring a student from the music school. He'll be playing on Friday evenings, to start. His name is Johann, and I expect you all the be civil, respectful, and on your best behavior. _Please_ don't scare him away.” Avi raised his hand. “What. Avi.”

“I think Hurley should be allowed to suggest wines that pair well with the music, sir.”

“That's...not a thing.”

“Oh!” Hurley _jumped._ “No, no, sir, it totally is.”

“I've told you, the sir isn't necessary. But fine, yes, you may suggest wine pairings for the music this evening. Alright, best behavior everyone. _And...break!_ ”

 

* * *

 

Avi considered himself a professional.

Food service ran in the family. His parents had run two restaurants before they died, one being the one left to them by his grandfather on his mother's side. All his aunts were restaurant or cafe owners, with the exception of Aunt Violet, who ran a very successful chain of juice bars. She was also the cool vodka aunt, so it made sense.

Avi had started out in his parents' restaurants, gotten his associates in hospitality, and went on the manage Elliot's, a fairly successful gastropub downtown, for the last four years. He was pretty well known among the wait staff in Neverwinter up until that point as being a cool, calm, level headed dude who could be counted on to make the right choice. He was on track to probably open his own place in a few more years –

And then he went to work at the Duck.

The last time Avi had gone out with his former staff they were...in shock. He was taking a massive pay cut, he was stepping _way down_. He was working at a _start-up_ as a _server_ , just when he'd been mere _inches_ from his own place.

What the _fuck_ , they asked, had he been thinking?

Truth was, for the first time in a long time – he hadn't been. Avi hadn't given leaving Elliot's and going to _The Joyful Duck_ more than a passing consideration. It was just...something he needed to do. Something about the place just _called_ to him. He had no idea how to explain it. He'd seen the notice online, caught sight of the tweet, and remembered that amazing meal he'd had just a week before, how he'd met Magnus and Julia, how Magnus reminded him so much of his _dad_ for some reason, even though he couldn't have been more than a few years older than him.

Walking into the Duck had been like walking into the place his parents had when they still lived in Phandalin. That little place tucked into the corner, between the art supply store and the paper shop. His mom baked the bread and his dad grew all the produce. They hung pictures of their family on the wall. That place had been _home._ Avi did his school work there, he had his birthdays there. Hell, he snuck his first date in there and stole a kiss in one of the booths. It _meant_ something.

It had _magic_.

The second Avi stepped into _The Joyful Duck_ , he knew.

This place had magic, too.

 

* * *

 

“Everyone, this is Johann. Johann, this is everyone.” They waved and he lifted a hand.

“Hey.”

“Johann is studying piano in the music college at the university.”

“Violin.”

Davenport paused. “I'm sorry?”

“I'm studying violin. But I play piano, too. This is for my public performance credit.” Johann shrugged. “Some reason no one wants to hear a violin in their ear at dinner.”

“Oh. Well, perhaps some other time. For tonight, piano.”

“Sounds about right.” Johann glanced around. “Nice set-up. Like where it is, that's a good place. Not too close to everyone, but good vantage point. You need to check over my set list, or--”

“No, no, Lucretia cleared everything.”

“Right. Well, I'll get started.” He pushed the hair back from his face and headed over to the piano.

Avi just...sort of stared.

He'd wondered, maybe, if he was going to have this problem. He'd always had it, and frankly, it hadn't really _been_ a problem until the one, singular time it _was_ a problem.

(That problem's name had been Reid, and Reid had been a beautiful cellist and he'd had the most god damn beautiful hands in the entire world and he could pluck at Avi like a mandolin and he fucking _did_ and Avi had loved him and lost his freaking marbles over him – and then he sort of disappeared and only came back to play first chair in the Neverwinter Symphony Orchestra, but that was all beside the point.)

The _point_ was Avi had a _thing_ for _musicians._

Like food service, it ran in the family. All his aunts had married (and divorced) musicians with the exception of, once again, Aunt Violet. She and her musician were still happily married, and the two women lived in a gorgeous apartment, had adopted three gorgeous cats, and owned that gorgeous juice bar chain.

Avi's goal in life was, honestly, to be the cool vodka aunt.

But right now, that was not an issue. Right now, the issue was a certain violinist-sometimes-pianist named Johann.

And he had hands that would have put Reid's to shame.

It was going to be a very, very, _very_ long Friday.

 

* * *

 

Johann played beautifully, almost so much that Avi could be distracted from his incredible hands and equally incredible face.

But not completely. He nearly got caught messing up a couple of orders, but Lup pretty much saved him.

“What's _with_ you tonight?”

Avi glanced over his shoulder. Johann had started another piece, some slow and a little melancholic. Lup snapped her fingers. “ _What?_ ”

“ _Ugh_ , you're ogling the piano guy.”

“Who's ogling the piano guy?” Taako asked.

“Who do you think? Avi, my dude, get it together, we're swamped tonight and we're down one captain! Let's do this.”

“Sorry, _sorry._ ” He grabbed his plates. “Getting my shit together, don't worry about it.”

Lup sighed. “Well, he _is_ cute.”

“Shit gathered, moving out!” he called over his shoulder, and made his way back into the fray.

 

* * *

 

When dinner service was over and Johann had stopped playing, the restaurant seemed too quiet. Lup leaned against the bar, sucking on something Barry had made her, and looked around. “You really livened the place up, didn't you?”

Johann frowned. “I have a different collection of pieces if it was too much.” Lup stared. “Oh. You're being genuine. Sorry, sometimes I don't pick up on that. Everyone's usually just fucking with me.”

“No, no, I'm serious. You sounded great out there.” She paused. “Damn, that _still_ sounds sarcastic. What's wrong with me?”

Davenport came over to them, grinning ear to ear. “Well, that went over _wonderfully._ We got some _amazing_ feedback.”

“I especially enjoyed it.” Avi glanced over – he recognized that voice but it had been a while...

“Dr. Kravitz!” Davenport's grin somehow managed to get even wider. “It's been a few weeks!”

Kravitz sidled up to their group and casually slipped his arm around Taako's waist. Taako, furiously typing _something_ on his phone, responded with a quick kiss to his cheek. Kravitz smiled. “I was out of the country.”

“Well, welcome back.”

Taako looked up. “We're going out, you guys comin' with?”

Lup nodded, knocked back the rest of her drink, and stood up. “ _Yes._ Barry, babe, let's do this.”

They all ended up going out, in the end. Even Magnus and Julia which, honestly, was a _Joyful Duck_ first. Davenport was almost convinced, but he decided to head home and rest. He was covering for Lucretia's morning shift tomorrow, too.

“Where'd she _go?_ ” Avi asked. It felt safe to wonder, now that she wasn't around.

Julia shrugged. “She didn't say. Johann, hon, you want to come with us?”

Johann was in the middle of putting his bag over his shoulder. He looked...a little uncomfortable.

“You don't have to,” she said quickly. “I just thought--”

“Uh, no. No, I'll go.” He shrugged. “My therapist says I should get out more.”

Avi swallowed. He'd been hoping they'd just...gloss over Johann, just for tonight. It was almost midnight, meaning Friday may have been long, but Saturday was about to get longer.

 

* * *

 

It the midst of the celebrating, Lup somehow managed to convince everyone to go to one part of the bar, while Avi and Johann somehow managed to get left behind. He had no idea how she accomplished such a feat, and no idea if he should be thankful for it or not, but he was now alone with Johann – and he had _nothing_ to say.

Well. Not nothing.

“Music school must be tough.”

 _Music school? God, they have names for that_ , he thought to himself.

Johann shrugged. “It's competitive, more than anything else. It's not exactly an in-demand industry. Space is limited, applicants are many, sort of thing. People try and mess stuff up for you or set you back. Screw you over, basically. A lot of people think I'm a doormat, so someone tries to steal my sheet music every so often.”

“Shit, how do you get something like that to stop?”

“You don't, you just make sure the stuff you bring to campus is totally worthless. Last week some guy swiped some stuff from my bag, but it just turned out to be the notes for the dial-up tone. Sounds like shit on a viola.”

Avi snorted. “That's pretty great.”

Johann shrugged. “You just gotta be smart about it. I don't know if I'll ever get hired to play in an orchestra or anything like that, but I like performing. Like, I hate saying shit like this, but I'm honestly a really great musician, and it's nice when people get to hear it. But a lot of stuff I do for school I'm not allowed to play for anyone. Especially if it's original. Like, I can't have someone take it and make it into something before I do, or if it's a professor's composition I wouldn't want to be the one who played it for someone and it got jacked, you know?”

“Damn. That's...rough.”

“It is what it is.” Johann took a sip of his beer. “So what about you? You seem pretty happy.”

“I...am? That was a weird way to say that, sorry. I am happy.”

Johann cringed. “Sorry, I sometimes just...say what I'm thinking. I just mean you seem like you really enjoy working for the Burnsides.”

“I do. They're great. I actually, ah. I left a different job to come work for them.”

“Really?” Avi nodded. “That's pretty big.”

“Well.” Avi picked up his beer. “It was a step up for me, honestly. In the end.” He smiled.

Felt good to say that out loud.

 

* * *

 

At some point they lost track of everyone else, and Avi got a text from Lup an hour in that just said _you're welcome._ He sighed. “I don't know where they went.”

“Oh.” Johann glanced around. “Well, that's okay. I'm pretty beat, honestly. Think I'll head home.”

“You want some company?”

They both sort of froze, looking anywhere but at each other. Avi huffed. “I meant, like, do you want me to walk you home. Walk _with_ you home.” _Good grief._

“Uh, sure. Yeah, actually. I don't live far from here. Be good to get some air.”

“Right. Yeah, air is. Always good.” Avi cleared his throat and stood quickly. They made their way out of the bar, spilling onto the street. It _did_ feel good outside, even if it was starting to get really cold at night. Avi pulled his coat around him tighter. “Forgot about this part.”

“I can get a cab--”

“It's good, man. No worries.”

For the first time since Avi met him, Johann smiled.

“Alright,” he said. “I appreciate it.”

Avi grinned and walked down the sidewalk with him.

Later, Johann would thank him for walking all that way, the barest hint of that smile from earlier on his face. He'd say he had a good time, that he liked talking to him, and meeting him. He'd say that, and then he'd say they should all do this again sometime.

Avi laughed. “Yeah, maybe we won't lose everyone.”

Johann shrugged. “Maybe.” Then: “Actually...actually that was my favorite part.” He ducked his head and talked to the ground. “I, uh. I liked sitting with you. It was good. Cool. You know?”

Avi nodded. “I do.”

Johann looked up. “Anyway, I better get inside. I've got a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow. But I'll...see you Friday.”

“Yeah,” Avi said. “I'll definitely see you Friday.”

They said all of that to each other, and even though Avi had walked in the complete and total opposite direction of his apartment, and even though he had to call a cab home because his toes were freezing – he got a smile, and a promise for another day.

 _That_ was more than enough.

 

* * *

 

On Wednesday, Avi caught Lucretia crying.

She was sitting on a box in the spare walk-in, clutching her blouse, and crying.

Avi stared. She stared back.

Slowly he stepped out of her line of vision and away. The kitchen was empty – they were between services, Lup and Taako were hashing out some menu corrections with Magnus and Julia – the two of them were totally and completely alone.

“Avi?”

He swallowed, still staying out of her way. “...Yeah?”

“Can you come here please?”

He pressed his lips together. “Uh, sure.” He took a breath and went back.

She was standing now. Her cheeks were wiped, her blouse was straightened. The only proof she'd been crying at all was the slight tremor in her voice – the kind left there when you lost your breath, or couldn't quite catch it. She gave him a smile. “I'm sorry,” she said.

“It's--”

“No, it's not professional. I shouldn't...shouldn't bring personal baggage with me into the workplace.”

Avi nodded. “Right. I understand that. You just...don't have to apologize to me. It's all good.”

“It's not,” she said. “But I appreciate that. I would...also appreciate your discretion.”

Yeah, like he'd ever gossip about Lucretia. He wanted to keep his job _and_ his dignity, thank you very much. “No worries,” he said. “These lips are sealed.”

“Wonderful.”

Avi paused. “...Can I...ask why?”

Lucretia looked down. “It's just a bit of...family trouble,” she said, then looked back up at him. Gave him that half-smile, and said, in that tone, “Nothing to worry about.”

She did not invite further discussion, and she certainly did not invite pity. Avi nodded, and let her walk past him.

They didn't speak of it for a long time.

 

* * *

 

Somehow, Avi wound up going out with Johann on Friday alone. He suspected Lup, but she'd been a little distracted as of late. Something with Barry and commitment and taking it slow, he wasn't sure. Hurley and Sloane had a lot of plans these days, and now that Kravitz was back in town, Taako cold be counted on to go missing. So, it was just the two of them.

Avi...didn't mind.

They went somewhere a little more niche, a jazz bar Johann went to a lot. He bought Avi's beer and they settled into a booth.

They were quiet for a while, listening to the music, watching people start to dance.

That's why it sort of surprised him when Johann said quietly, “Is this a date?”

Avi _choked._ “Uh--”

“It's okay if it's not. I just...it would be okay if it was, too.”

Avi blinked. A lot. “Um. It's just...you know, it's two guys, and we're out. And we're, uh. We're drinking.”

“Are you broken?”

“No. Well, maybe. I've had a lot of stuff happen to me. Point is. It's a date if...you want it be.” Avi looked right at him. “Um. Do you? Want it to be?”

Johann smiled. “I said it would be okay with me if it were.” He tapped Avi's bottle with his own. “So, yeah. I want it to be.”

Avi grinned. “Okay. Okay, _cool._ Cool, cool, cool. This is very cool.”

“Say cool one more time.”

Avi took a drink. “Cool _._ ”

Johann's smile got a little wider. “One more time.”

“...Cool.”

Then: “Last one.”

Avi stood, leaned forward over the table, and planted one right on his mouth. He could _feel_ that smile, and shit could he get used to that. He pulled back, just barely, his lip's still touching Johann's.

“ _Cool._ ”

“Yeah.” Johann went in for another. “Cool.”

 

* * *

 

“Those aren't your clothes,” Lup said.

“What?” Avi looked at his jeans. “Yeah, they totally are.”

“No. You don't dress like that.” She point at his shirt. “That's too fashionable for you, you're more a jeans and t-shirt kinda guy.”

“Well, I _own_ nice things.”

Taako glanced over. “She's right, my dude, those aren't your clothes.”

Avi threw his hands up. “I have no idea why we're talking about this--”

“Oh,” Lup said, her expression suddenly open and all-knowing. “They're _Johann's._ ” She snapped her fingers. “You stayed at his place and you didn't want to wear your Friday clothes to work.” She smacked her forehead. “ _Duh._ Shoulda picked up on _that_ right away.” She gave his shoulder a little swat. “Nice job, dude. You deserve a good boy.”

“Uh, thanks. But can we keep this sort of on the DL?”

“Why?”

“I don't know, it's just—”

“You're not a manager,” Taako said. “And Johann's not going to play here forever. Besides,” he added. “Pretty sure we can all agree to be happy for you and move on.”

“Who's happy for Avi?” Magnus asked. He set down a box of spices.

“We are,” Taako said. “He's dating Johann.”

“I'm not _dating_ \--”

“Oh, hey man, good for you.” Magnus grinned and clasped his shoulder. “Taako here's your shit.”

“ _Thank you_ , finally, we can stop living a _half life_ back here and start cooking for real. Put that golden plate to _shame._ ”

Avi shook his head and headed out of the kitchen.

“Avi?” Hurley waved. “Davenport's looking for you.”

Avi nodded and headed toward the bar. Julia, Lucretia, and Davenport were talking in low voices. He heard someone chuckle behind him. “I think they're tryin' to freak you out,” Magnus said.

Julia looked up. “Magnus, this is serious.”

“I know, I know.” He stepped around Avi and put his arm around his wife. “Sit down, bud.”

Avi sat.

Davenport folded his hands in his lap. “So, Avi. You probably know that Lucretia and I won't be staying here forever.”

“I figured.”

“We're going to move on to other places. Not yet, and not _soon_ , but not quite _later_ either.” He picked up a folder. “You really took a pay cut when you came to work for us. Didn't you?”

Avi shrugged. “Wasn't important.”

“It _meant_ something,” Lucretia said. “Whatever you saw here, you were willing to sacrifice. I did my research, you know. I know you've got a lot of history when it comes to this career.” Avi nodded. “And I know you could have been sitting where we are in just a few years.” She smiled. “But I can do you one better.”

Julia clasped her hands together. “I can't stand it. Avi, we want you to start taking over some of the manager shifts. When Davenport and Lucretia move on, we want you to manage the restaurant with us.”

Avi blinked. “...Seriously?”

Magnus nodded. “Seriously. You've got the experience, you've got the drive. And you really showed us that this _place_ mattered more to you than the number of zeroes on a check.”

“We'll discuss your pay raise in time,” Lucretia said. “But...we're excited about this, Avi.” She gave him another smile, different from the others. Special. Sort of...just for him, maybe. “We hope you are, too. We hope you'll accept the offer first, I suppose.”

“Um, yeah. _Yeah_ ,” he said. Shit, like he had to think twice. “Of course I want to. I just...I don't want to let you guys down.”

“I really doubt you could do that,” Julia said.

“And you'll have some training,” Davenport added. “This will be different from your last management position. You'll have more responsibilities, you'll answer to the owners themselves.” He sighed. “This is a great opportunity for you, Avi. I hope you understand that.”

Avi stood. “Yes, sir. Of course, I do.” He took Davenport's hand, and he shook all the others, too. “You won't regret this, seriously. I promise.”

“We know,” Magnus said. When Avi took his hand, Magnus pulled him in for a hug. “We know.”

 

* * *

 

The next time he saw Johann, he laid him out on his bed and kissed him. Avi _indulged_ , because things? They were finally looking up for him.

“You're extra happy,” Johann said.

“Hey, I know this is super new, and we've only been dating for about four days, but I just want you to know I am _super_ into you. I like you a lot, and I'd really like to date you for more days than four.” He kissed him again. “Is that cool?”

“Very cool,” Johann murmured. “What's your big news?”

“I wanna do some stuff first.”

“Did you get promoted?”

Avi sighed. “Damn you're good.”

Johann shrugged. “Seemed like a good guess, but yeah, we can do other stuff before we talk about it. Should I get undressed.”

“Nope.” Avi stood. “I'll take care of it,” he said.

Johann sighed. He smiled.

Avi held up his hands, took a mental picture. Earned himself a laugh.

“Just want to remember all this,” he said.

Johann reached out and took his hand. “Why?”

Avi leaned down, close enough so their lips were touching. “Because,” he said, and kissed him quick. “ _Magic._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "take your time" by fun.


	8. sister (lucretia)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucretia's life changes. The past comes home to roost. Family is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote, and rewrote, and rewrote, and _rewrote_ this chapter over the last three days. it's been a mess and i'm up way too late, but i had to get it done. it's a mix of a lot of things -- my magnus and lucretia headcanons, my experiences with my grandmother and her dementia -- i hope this is okay, i hope you like it, because so far this is my favorite chapter.  <3 enjoy! (also here you can see me testing the ship waters for maureen/lucretia who knows what'll happen)

_But I still wake up, I still see your ghost_  
_Oh, Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh_

 

* * *

 

Lucretia leaned over the edge of the bar and grabbed a pen from Barry's stash before scrawling her name across an order form.

“Are _you_ the one who's been taking these?”

“Probably,” she said, tucking it behind her ear. “Alright, this should keep you stocked for the rest of the month, once we send it out. Do you need anything special? I can get it on my way back into town.”

Barry shook his head. “No, but...you doin' okay, Lucretia?”

She looked up. “I'm fine. Why?”

“I don't know. You've been...takin' a lot of time off. And you don't seem especially happy about it.”

Lucretia sighed. “I'm fine, Barry.” She paused. “Thank you for asking.”

He held up his hands. “Alright, alright. But you do know that if you...if you _need_ anything. We're all here for you. Right?”

“Of course, Barry.”

He sighed. “Well, have a good time, wherever you're goin'.”

Lucretia gave him a smile and stood from the bar stool, grabbing her bag and pulling it over her shoulder. As she was headed for the exit, the door to the kitchen swung open, and Magnus strode out in just a few steps, walking right in front of her and sending them both stumbling back.

“Ah shit, Lu--” He paused. “Lucretia. Sorry.”

She looked up at him. “It's fine.”

“You headin' out?” She nodded. “Okay, well...well you have a good trip, alright?”

“I will.”

“And just let us know if you need something, okay?”

“Barry has explained that I'm allowed to ask for help.”

Magnus sighed. “He's always beatin' me to that sort of thing.” He moved to put a hand on her shoulder, but seemed to think better of it. “See you Monday,” he said, and began to move past her.

Lucretia took one, two steps forward, stopped, and turned.

“Magnus.”

He froze, looking at her over his shoulder. They were both unreadable to one another, in that moment, and Lucretia...she almost said it. She almost spoke the truth they both knew, but had thought better of saying out loud.

She was so close, but –

Instead: “Have a good weekend, Magnus.”

He smiled. “Yeah. You, too, Lu.”

 

* * *

 

Luskan was two hours north of the city, but considering what she was driving to, it may as well have taken her days. Not that the trips she'd been making were unwanted, nor unnecessary.

It was just...hard, sometimes. To see your mother this way.

Six months earlier, Lucretia's mother had been diagnosed with dementia, and while there had been many good days in the interim, there had been enough bad days to give Lucretia pause, and make her wonder if she was doing the right thing.

The doctor said her mother could live at home, but it was getting harder and harder to spend so much time away from her, and harder to justify her trips away with Magnus and Julia, and even Davenport. Avi had caught her off guard in the walk-in last month. He shouldn't have been allowed to see her that way. She had a reputation to maintain.

But Lucretia also had a mother who needed her, so for now, that took precedence.

She pulled her car into the driveway and idled for a moment. Going inside was like walking through a museum dedicated to Lucretia's childhood. Not that she'd been unhappy – it'd been a very charmed life she'd lived, particularly before her father died. She and her mother, after that, did well enough on their own, but things were always a little different. Her mother took less photos. They took less trips. They simply... _did_ less. Because, Lucretia had always thought, they _were_ , each, a little bit less.

Losing her father had been a near impossible thing to overcome – but not entirely. Eventually, they did move past it, but it was as though, in the process, they left parts of themselves behind. Lucretia's mother was never really whole again.

Happy, yes. But not whole.

That, Lucretia learned, could eventually feel normal to you. The grief group she went to for five years taught her that.

It also taught her about letting go, moving forward, and learning to be the person you would eventually be. Lucretia knew a great deal of the woman she became was formed in those months after her father died.

She wondered if she'd change much, after all this was over.

The thought frightened her, so she got out of her car and left that fear outside. To be dealt with on the drive home come Sunday.

When she stepped inside, the smells of lunch were still in the air, and her mother's nurse was cleaning dishes from the table, humming quietly to herself. She looked up as the door shut and smiled. “You made it.”

“I did. How is she?”

“Oh, not so bad, not so bad. Today's been an okay day. She thought you were at school this morning, but this afternoon she knew exactly where you were coming from and exactly where you worked so--” She crossed her fingers.

“Is she resting.”

“Yeah, she wanted a nap. I can stay here a bit longer if you need to do anything in town...”

“No, that's alright. I'm having groceries delivered tomorrow. Let me know if there's anything else you need for the week, I'll order it tonight.”

“I got your email with the list, I'll be fine.”

“Alright. Thank you, Clara.”

“Sure. I'll see you Sunday?”

Lucretia nodded. The girl took her things and left, leaving Lucretia to finish cleaning up the kitchen before settling onto the couch. She leaned into the pillows, glancing over at the end table and smiling at one of the photos. It was a rare one – Lucretia and her mother together, just the two of them, and not at graduation or something special. Just...them. Sitting on the front steps of _this_ house, her mother sat behind her with her arms wrapped around Lucretia, holding her close.

She could still remember that day. It was after Candlenights, a lot like now. She smiled, remembering the way the Burnsides had decorated for Candlenights, little lights covering every corner of the restaurant, a candle on every table, and a little jar of names on the hostess stand.

“People who need some extra love this year,” Julia had said. Two weeks after she'd filled it, the jar was empty.

Lucretia thought about what they might do next year before she remembered that Davenport was ready to move on. Of course she'd agreed, it was a good idea, but there were things left unspoken, and Lucretia wasn't ready to go.

She loved that place so much – she wasn't sure if she ever would be.

Unhappy with her sudden mood, she set about cleaning the house.

 

* * *

 

“Lucretia?”

Her mother stepped out of her bedroom as Lucretia stood from the table and went to her, wrapping her arms around her. “Hey, mom.”

“Baby. You came all the way up here?”

“I have been, mom. For the last few weeks.”

Her mother frowned. “I guess you have, haven't you? Oh, you look dreadful.”

Lucretia sighed. “It's just been a long week mom. You sit and I'll bring you some coffee.”

“I'm making you miserable, aren't I?”

Lucretia gripped the handle of the coffee pot and closed her eyes. “ _No_ ,” she said firmly, and turned to look at her mother. “You aren't. I love you, and being here with you makes me happy.”

“Yes, but it takes you away from the restaurant, and I've been _terrible_ lately. I'm sick and I'm making your life difficult.”

Lucretia sighed, bringing two mugs of coffee to the kitchen table. She settled down and reached over, taking her mother's hand in hers. “You are _not_ making my life difficult, mom. I've missed you.” Lucretia kissed her hand. “I'm glad to see you.”

Her mother's cheek trembled, and she nodded and wiped tears from her eyes. “Alright,” she said. They sat like that for a while, and Lucretia allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of security. It was easy to pretend, in these moments, that her mother was fine, and Lucretia could let her go back to living the life she had, before the diagnosis.

And then her mother looked up, looked at the time, and sighed. “Your father is _late_ again. I've told him a hundred times.”

Lucretia pressed her lips together. “I know,” she managed to say. “We'll just have to start making dinner without him, won't we?”

“If he wanted it warm, he'd be here for it,” her mother said. “You know what we're having?”

“Oh.” Lucretia stood. “I'm sure I can figure it out.”

 

* * *

 

She stayed through the weekend and late into Sunday morning. Eventually Clara the nurse returned just before noon, and set about getting things ready.

Lucretia's mother sighed. “You have to go?”

“I do.”

“Well...well be _safe_ ,” she said. “I mean that.”

“I'm always safe, mama.”

“Oh, honey.” Her mother reached up and cupped her cheek. She seemed quite lucid, in that moment, but Lucretia had been through too many of these today alone to be convinced. She waited for it, and then her mother said gently, “Have a wonderful day at school.”

“I will.”

“You have everything you need?”

“I have everything I need.”

“Good. That's good.” Her mother took a sip of her coffee. “I'll see you tonight, then.”

Lucretia nodded, lifting her duffel bag onto her shoulder and beginning to head out. “Bye, mom.”

“Goodbye, sweetie.” Then: “Tell Magnus I said hello when you get to class, won't you? And bring him by again soon. He's a sweet boy.”

Lucretia screwed her eyes shut and gripped the handle of the front door.

“Lucretia?”

“Okay, mom. I'll...I'll tell him.”

“Good girl. I'll see you tonight.”

Lucretia opened the door and spilled onto the porch, shutting the house tight behind her.

She didn't mind when her mother lost herself. She could handle that.

She couldn't handle the reminders of a past she was decidedly shutting out. _That_ was one thing she simply did not want to hear.

 

* * *

 

They met in the first grade, when Magnus moved in with the Sisters of Istus in Luskan. It was a foster home for boys, but it was typically their last stop before getting adopted. Only a handful of boys had aged out of the Sisters' house, but Lucretia did not expect Magnus to be one of them. He was handsome, he seemed quite happy, and he didn't start fights. The last part had very little to do with Magnus being adopted, and more to do with the fact that, as the new boy in class, he was universally adored.

That he elected, on his own, to spend any time with Lucretia at all was a miracle.

She was, even in the first grade, a total bookworm. Where some of her peers were still working out certain letters and sounds, Lucretia was walking the room with the teacher and helping. This made her an immediate target for a handful of bullies, and earned her a plethora of not very clever nicknames.

Magnus was her protector.

But only once, she'd told him. “I'm perfectly capable of standing up for myself.”

“Oh, I believe it.” He tapped the cover of her book. “Bet you could string a sentence together full of words not even the teacher knows.”

“I could try.”

“Well, I'd rather you didn't have to,” he admitted. “I don't know why everyone wants to tease you, but you helped me learn to read today, and Sister Grace says reading is the key to knowing our fate in this world.” He paused. “Istus is the goddess of fate.”

Lucretia nodded. “I know.”

Magnus grinned. “Okay, good,” he said.

And after that, they were thick as thieves.

They rarely fought. Magnus was patient, and neither really had much of a temper, but Lucretia didn't really know what his life had been like before the Sisters, so there would be days when Magnus simply...wasn't happy. These were strange days, but even at a young age Lucretia figured you couldn't always expect someone to be happy.

She learned this the hard way, when she was trying to force it. It was, after all, almost his birthday. But Magnus wasn't interested in birthdays (“I don't even really know what day mine is.”) and he certainly wasn't interested in having a party or getting presents. Especially not at school in front of everyone.

When Lucretia gave him the set of handkerchiefs she'd embroidered with his initials, he yanked them out of her hands and _snarled._

“I didn't _ask you_ for a present!”

Lucretia stared. Magnus stared.

She swallowed. “That's...not the point of a present.”

“ _I know what a present is!_ I'm not _dumb!_ ”

She nodded. “I know--”

“ _Ugh!_ ” He stormed off, gripping the handkerchiefs in one hand, his other forming a tight fist that he squeezed tight around itself. Lucretia watched him go, and she ate lunch alone that day.

She fully expected to do it again the next day, but as she was getting ready to settle at her desk on her own, someone put a bright, perfect clementine on her desk. Lucretia looked up, and Magnus was looking sheepish.

One of the handkerchiefs was folded into the pocket of his uniform shirt, and he could hardly look at her.

“I'm very sorry I shouted. It was mean and you're my friend.” He glanced at her. “You're...my only friend. And I shouldn't treat you that way.”

Lucretia picked up the piece of fruit. “Is this from your house?” He nodded. “Do you want to split it with me?”

Magnus pulled up a chair and grinned. “Sure thing,” he said, and chatted away while Lucretia happily pulled away the peel.

 

* * *

 

“Another weekend away? Lucretia, you _have_ to tell me what's going on.” Davenport looked exhausted in front of her, watching her gather the last of her things and put them into her purse.

“I told you. It's a family issue.”

“Is your mother alright?” He hadn't pressed the issue before, but this was her fifth weekend being away from the restaurant.

She sighed. “It's...complicated, Davenport.”

“You can explain it to me. I've known you for years, Lucretia.”

She looked at him. “I know. But...I'm sorry. I have to see this through.”

Davenport sighed. “Well. At least Avi's getting his training in.”

Lucretia smiled. They'd promoted Avi more than two weeks ago, and he was taking to the role well. There were other things they needed to do, and perhaps if she wasn't in Luskan every weekend they could _do_ them, but –

Lucretia needed to be there for her mother. She needed to make sure she was taken care of.

“Listen, Davenport, I know you want--” She sighed, glancing down as her phone rang. “Just...hold on. This is Lucretia.”

“Lucretia, this is Dr. Bane, we spoke last week.”

“Yes, is--”

“Your mother fell this morning. She became upset with her nurse and tried to get out of the house. Took a nasty fall on the front steps. If you--”

Lucretia _felt_ the blood drain from her face. _No, no, no, no, no –_ “I'm on my way. I'm...I'm leaving now, just let me--”

“Lucretia, _wait_.”

“ _What?_ What is it, what could you _possibly_ \--”

“We're transferring your mother to _Neverwinter_. It's the best possible place for her right now, and I know it's close to you.”

Lucretia pressed her palm to her forehead, closed her eyes. This was just a terrible, ugly, awful dream, she thought. She'd wake up, and all of this would have been invented. Just part of her subconscious.

But – it wasn't. It was real, and the doctor on the other end of the line was saying a lot about constant supervision, and needed to be close to decent medical treatment. Eventually – she just hung up. What else was there to hear?

Davenport cleared his throat. “Lucretia?”

“I need to go. I can't...I can't stay. I'm sorry, Davenport. Really, I am.”

He nodded. “I know you are. You wouldn't leave unless you had to.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I'm here for you, Lucretia. You know that, right?”

 _Yes,_ she wanted to scream, _yes you and Barry and Magnus and the whole fucking world apparently. You're all there when I didn't ask, but as soon as I need you, where the fuck are you, where the fuck_ –

She didn't have time to play this particular part of the monologue in her head.

She had to get to her mother.

 

* * *

 

“Nothing's broken,” Dr. Miller said. _Maureen_ , she'd insisted earlier. _My son's doing his residency downstairs. There's been some less than ideal confusion._

“Nothing?”

“Well, maybe her pride, just a bit. And there's a small hairline fracture, but...I don't think she enjoyed all the attention.”

Lucretia laughed, but it sounded wretched. “No. My mother doesn't enjoy attention.”

“Well that's not such a bad thing.” Dr. Miller made a few notes. “I have to tell you, Lucretia, I don't think it's a good idea for your mother to go back to Luskan. Really, I don't.”

Lucretia swallowed. “Here might be better, you mean?”

“As we progress through this, her memory loss is only going to get worse. She's going to see her world completely differently. She'll see you completely differently.” The doctor sighed. “It's hard to hear, but you're going to become a different version of yourself to her. I know that hurts, but...right now, the best thing you can do for her is just keep loving her, the way you have been. And keep her close to a good hospital.”

“So she...she doesn't need a facility.”

“Oh, god no. No, no. A dedicated nurse will do just fine. I only...I think she'd do better here. Maybe we you. It's going to be hard to leave her home, I'm sure, but she'll adjust. She's surprisingly lucid sometimes. It's quite refreshing.”

“Not the word I'd use to describe my mother, but I appreciate.” Lucretia sighed. “Thank you, Dr. Miller.”

“Of course.” The woman turned to go, then turned back. “You...can call me Maureen. I think we'll be seeing a lot of one another.”

Lucretia stared after her.

What the _hell_ had that been?

 

* * *

 

Magnus lived with the Sisters for five years. In that time, he was the only friend Lucretia had, and the two found in one another the extended family they'd been missing all the years before. Lucretia had always wanted a brother – Magnus had always wanted siblings, a family, more people to surround himself with. When it came to Lucretia, he got the whole deal.

And then, one morning – he didn't come to school. Their teacher looked at Lucretia for answers, but Lucretia had nothing for him. Magnus was simply not there. He didn't show up later, and he didn't show up after lunch, either. Lucretia didn't have time to go to the Sisters' house – she had choir practice after school, and then it was straight home for dinner.

That next morning she woke up early to take the long way to school, the way that would take her right past the Sisters' house. They were always awake early, praying most mornings before five, and gardening until breakfast. Lucretia stood by the little gate leading up to the house and one of the Sisters came to meet her.

“Hello, love. It's good to see you.”

“And you, Sister Beth.” She looked around. “Is Magnus sick? He wasn't at school yesterday, so I just thought--” Lucretia stopped. Beth's face had gone a very sad, pale color, and she was looking around a bit frantically. “Um.”

“Excuse me, honey.” And she bolted into the house. After five minutes, the door opened, and Sister Grace descended down the stairs, her arms tucked behind her back. She stopped in front of the gate and looked at Lucretia.

“I thought Magnus would have told you.”

“He...he didn't tell me anything. What's wrong, is he okay?”

“Magnus has been visiting with a family the past few weeks. Over the weekend, they made the decision to adopt him. He went home with them last night.” Sister Grace crouched down to look Lucretia in the eye. “I'm sorry you didn't know, my dear. This must be very – _wait! Lucretia, wait!_ ”

But Lucretia didn't wait.

Lucretia _ran_. She ran so fast and so hard her shoes chewed up her feet, gnawing on skin until they were covered with sores. She ran all the way home and burst into the kitchen where her mother was just pouring her second cup of coffee.

“ _Lucretia!_ What--” Her bag thudded to the ground, and she threw herself into her mother's arms. “Oh, _honey._ Lucretia, love. What happened?”

She couldn't say it.

But...her mother.

She knew.

“Is he gone then?”

“Y-y- _yes._ ”

Her mother sighed. “It's alright, honey. It's _alright._ ”

“It's _not._ He l-l _-left_ me and he d-d-didn't say g-good _bye!_ ”

“Goodbye's are hard, Lu. You know that.”

“Magnus is my _brother._ He's m-my _best friend._ ”

“I know.” Her mother pulled back and kissed her forehead. “Those are always the hardest goodbyes.”

 

* * *

 

It was late, well after closing and well after Barry had gone home that Lucretia sat at the bar in _The Joyful Duck_ and poured herself her third drink.

This was not how she usually did things, but tonight, she really felt like she was at her worst.

She didn't heard anyone come down the stairs, and she didn't see anyone come out of the kitchen –

But she saw that familiar hand set a clementine down on the edge of the bar. And Lucretia looked up – and there was Magnus.

“Hey,” he said.

She swallowed. “Hey.”

He sighed and sat next to her, reaching over the edge of the bar for the bottle she was pouring from. She handed him a glass and he filled it. Took a drink. Lucretia just watched.

“I, uh...I owe you about a thousand of those I think.” Magnus sniffed. “Probably more”

“Why?”

“Oh, come on, Lucretia. Let's just...stop pretending for a minute, okay?” He took another drink. “I knew it was you the second I walked in here that day. As soon as you got up and shook my hand, I knew.” Magnus paused. “...Did you?”

“Yes.” God of _course_ she'd known. But she was a professional, and their visit to the Duck that day hadn't been about rekindling lost friendships. It had been about making things right for the restaurant. Lucretia had told Davenport, later, that she'd gone to school with Magnus. She asked that he not bring it up. So, he didn't.

But now it was sitting next to her, drinking and reaching into his pocket for another clementine and beginning to peel it. Lucretia lifted her own, and they sat and peeled and ate their fruit in silence until Magnus said, “I know about your mom.”

“I assumed Julia would tell you.” Lucretia had, in a fit, called Julia Burnsides and told her almost everything, leaving out the part that she'd known her husband since they were children. She figured Magnus could fill in those bits on his own.

“I told her things, too,” he said. “About us.”

“And?”

“She cried. Well, I cried. I assume she cried, but she doesn't always.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I'm the sap in this relationship, you know?”

Lucretia took another drink. “I'm sorry I bothered her.”

“You didn't. Lucretia--” He grabbed her hand and _god_ it was like being yanked into cold water. She whipped her head toward him, and Magnus flinched, but – he didn't let go. “ _Lu_ ,” he said. “I don't know how else to explain this to you. How to _tell you_ that...that we're you're family.”

Lucretia closed her eyes. “You _left me._ ”

“I know.”

“You _never said goodbye._ ”

“Yeah.” Magnus wrapped his other hand around hers. “I know that, too. It was just...hard. It was hard and the Burnsides, they wanted to take me home with them.” He laughed. “It was such an amazing feeling, you know? I'd only ever known it...known it with you.” Magnus breathed. “I'm sorry. I really, _really_ am. I tried to write you a hundred letters, but they were all shit at explaining what happened, and I just...we moved away and it was just easier to think we'd both be okay.” He worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “We...we _were_ okay, weren't we?”

Lucretia nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, we were okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Magnus. I mean we were kids, I don't...” She laughed. “I look back and I just...it happened and I can't change the way I felt about it then, but...I'm an adult, now.” She finally looked at him. “I don't want to be angry about anything anymore, honestly. My mother is dying, and I need to move her things here. I need to...to sell my old house. I need to rethink my _entire_ life and it's my mother so _of course_ I want to do that, I just--”

“It's a lot,” Magnus said quietly.

“Yeah.” Lucretia felt herself leaning forward, and she felt Magnus's sturdy arms come up to wrap around and hold her. It felt good, so – she let him.

“It's a lot,” she said.

He held her for a long time. Lucretia was distantly aware of Julia coming downstairs to check on them, then padding back up. He let go and took her glass away before taking her hands. “Come on,” he said.

“Magnus, I need to go home.”

“You're my sister,” he said firmly, and began leading her toward the steps going to his apartment. “You're already home.”

 

* * *

 

Her mother was still in the hospital a few weeks later, but Lucretia had already started the process of getting her adjusted to the city. They took walks in the park almost every day, went out to some of Lucretia's favorite restaurants – they even went to the Duck.

Her mother recognized Magnus straight away.

“That boy got tall,” she said.

“Didn't he?”

“Oh, but he's got such a lovely wife. And a lovely restaurant. Did you help him with that?”

“I tried. They did most of the work themselves.” They were headed back into the hospital. As they stepped onto the elevator, a lithe hand slid between the doors to hold it open. Dr. Maureen Miller stepped on, and Lucretia felt her mouth go a little dry.

“Did you two enjoy your morning?”

“Oh, very much.” Lucretia's mother smiled. “Are you riding with us?”

“Yes, ma'am. You and I are going on an x-ray adventure today. Check on that hip.”

“Damn hip.”

“I know.” Maureen laughed. “Total nuisance, aren't they?”

Lucretia left her mother with one of the nurses and a kiss on the cheek. “I'm going to the house tomorrow to get the boxes loaded onto the truck, so I'll be away for the day. Will you be alright?”

“Oh, sure, sure. I'll have this pretty doctor to keep me company. Won't I, Maureen?”

“Oh, I don't know about pretty, ma'am.”

Lucretia's mother snorted. “Lu, you tell that woman she's pretty.”

Lucretia looked up. Maureen was a delightful shade of pink.

“She's very pretty, mama.”

“See? I told you.”

As Lucretia headed for the elevator, she felt a hand reach for her shoulder, and she turned and found herself face to face with Maureen.

“Lucretia--”

“I'm sorry, my mother can get--”

“When your mother isn't my patient anymore, I want to take you to dinner.”

Lucretia froze. Blinked. “...Oh.”

“Unless...unless you're not...I mean, I thought I was reading the signs--”

“No, no. You...you read the signs right, I just--”

“I mean you don't have to--”

“No, I want to--”

“It's not exactly appropriate right now, and frankly even _this_ is--”

“Really, Dr. Miller, it's--”

Maureen held up a hand. “I told you, Lucretia.”

“Maureen. Right.”

They both smiled. Laughed.

Lucretia sighed. “I'm sorry, I'm...not good at this part.”

“That's alright.” Maureen pressed the down button on the elevator for her, gave her a wink. “I'll walk you through it.”

 

* * *

 

The movers were atrociously late. Lucretia prided herself on being prepared and she had all these boxes packed and nowhere to put them. Swearing, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed up the moving company.

“ _This is Dave._ ”

“Dave, it's Lucretia, we spoke on Thursday.”

“ _Oh, right, Lucretia! Yeah, was there a problem with your refund?_ ”

“What? No, what are you talking about?”

The phone shifted. “ _Ah, well, it's just your brother called yesterday afternoon, said you wouldn't need any of my boys out there today, so we canceled and refunded your card. Deposit, too._ ”

“Dave, what are you--” She looked up. A large truck was turning the corner, its horn blaring.

Behind the wheel?

Magnus.

Julia drove behind him in their little pick-up truck with Davenport in the passenger seat, and then it suddenly seemed like there was an entire _parade_ of cars. Taako and Lup, with Kravitz and Barry crammed into the back. Avi pulling onto the curb and opening the door for Johann. Merle with his kids and two women, those lawyers he'd recommended to them. Sloane and Hurley pulling in behind them all, spilling onto the street and waving madly at her.

“ _...Lucretia?_ ”

“The refund's fine, Dave.” She smiled. “Sorry to bother you.” She put her phone away as she headed down the slope of the hill in front of her house, meeting Magnus and Julia in the middle. “What are you _doing?_ ”

“Helping!” Magnus said brightly.

“But...the restaurant--”

“We put a note on the door,” Julia said. “Closed for the day.” She looked up at Magnus and gripped his hand tight.

( _if you need anything...we're all here for you_ )

( _just let us know if you need something, okay?_ )

( _i'm here for you lucretia. you know that, right?_ )

( _you're my sister. you're already home._ )

“Yeah,” Magnus said. “Family emergency.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "some nights" by fun.


	9. scents (carey)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carey tries to be happy. Killian tries to help. Everyone stops to smell the roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look! carey and killian! a flower shop! it's happening!!!

_(This is really happening)_  
_It gets better, it gets better_  
_It gets better, we'll get better_

 

* * *

 

Carey met Killian during their first year of law school – mainly because Killian caught her flower bombing the construction site next to her apartment complex.

“Aren't you in my Torts class?”

“...Yes.” Carey held the daisies she'd tied together in one hand and mentally prepared herself to run.

“Carey, right?”

“Yeah. Killian?” She nodded. “Um. This is just...I'm not--” Carey swallowed. “The fence is just _really_ ugly and I wanted it to, uh. To look nice.”

Killian raised a brow and stepped closer. She was... _really tall_ , and Carey had always been pretty short, especially for a dragonborn, so she was feeling a little claustrophobic, trapped between the fence and this frankly _scary-beautiful_ orc woman.

And then Killian leaned down, picked up a daisy-chain, and grinned. “Show me how it's done.”

After that, the rest was history.

 

* * *

 

Every week on Thursdays, Carey took a self-defense class at the dojo downtown, which is where she met Magnus Burnsides. They sort of saw something in one another, probably that they were both married to really amazing women, and got attached right away. Magnus was a great sparring partner, and he brought pastries for after every week. They'd sit on a bench outside the dojo, drink coffee from a stand on the street, and eat chocolate filled croissants and trade stories.

They realized they had a mutual friend in Merle, that they both loved romantic comedies, and were sadly married to women who couldn't sit through one to save their lives.

“Real tragedy,” Magnus said, taking a sip of his coffee. “But Jules was never super romantic. She likes the gestures every now and again, but she's mostly a big-picture kinda gal.”

“Killian likes to watch wrestling.”

“ _You_ like to watch wrestling.”

“Yeah, but sometimes I like to watch a poorly plotted, predictable movie where Lead A and Lead B start off as uncompromising coworkers and eventually become passionate lovers.” Magnus gave her a fistbump. “She likes flowers, though.”

“Yeah...yeah Jules, too.”

They sat together like that every Thursday night, until Magnus needed to get back to the restaurant and Carey needed to catch the train home. She'd never been particularly good at making friends – but someone like Magnus, he made it easy. She was grateful for that.

 

* * *

 

She was grateful for Killian, too, who came with her to Neverwinter when her father retired and she inherited Fangbattle and Associates, a moderately successful firm with only a single practitioner – the _associates_ bit had only last a few months. Carey's father had never been good at working well with others, a trait that neither Carey nor her brother Jeremy had inherited – Carey was in a happy long term relationship, and Jeremy played in a band with other lawyers twice a week at The Moorhouse downtown.

Killian hadn't complained a bit. They left their respective jobs in Goldcliff and moved house and home to Neverwinter. Two months later, they married in front of a handful of witnesses and bought a house on Barber Street. That was it.

That's all it took.

That's all it took to be _happy._

Carey just...sometimes couldn't shake this feeling. She'd gone to law school because her father encouraged it, because her brother had done it. They'd both gone because it was just...the family way. Carey couldn't have imagined a different future for herself.

(Well. She could, and she certainly did – but it was hard when your future was never talked about in _ifs_ , but rather _whens_.)

What Carey wanted most, what she had wanted above _anything else_ was to have a flower shop.

And it was a secret that she was so ashamed of, so _embarrassed_ by, that she'd been married to Killian for two years before she even told her. Carey expected her to laugh, to tease and talk about the things children wanted, but –

“You should have one,” she said, and kissed her forehead.

“...Seriously?” Killian nodded. “How? We can't--”

“We'll save up. Buy a place. If that's your dream, we should make it real.”

 

* * *

 

But things....got in the way. Not the worst things. The wedding wasn't much, but Killian wanted to go somewhere special for their one year anniversary, and the trip cost a lot of money. Carey knew it was worth it to be so happy for a week, to lay out on the beach and just trail her hands over Killian's shoulder, lay in bed til ten.

After that it was the broken arm Killian got when her cousin dared her to rock climb at the beach. And after that it was the water leak at the house. And after _that_ it was the car getting totaled –

It was always just one thing after another, and Carey couldn't find anyone to blame because that was just _life_ , but – _still._

_Still._

There were things she wanted. There were things she _desperately_ wanted, and she had no way of getting them.

 

* * *

 

The door to the house slammed shut and Carey looked over the counter into the living room. Killian was toeing off her shoes and tossing her bag into the corner.

“How was deposition?”

“Shitty,” Killian said, falling onto the couch. “A total mess. We might be boned on the Debowski case.”

Carey came over to the couch and slide under Killian's legs, reaching for her feet and giving them a squeeze. “Did Howard get that _quack_ on the stand?”

“ _Yes._ I couldn't fucking believe it. That man's credentials are fucking _bogus._ ”

“Well _someone_ , and I don't wanna say _who_ , may have found the university case that expelled him seven years ago.”

Killian sat up. “You didn't.”

“I _did._ ”

“Ugh, I could _kiss you_ , Fangbattle.” She leaned forward. “I think I will.” She moved her legs and Carey swung up and over into her lap, and they sat like that for a long time, whispering to one another until the oven started beeping. “Dinner?”

“Dinner.” Carey grinned and stood, jogging into the kitchen to pull the chicken out of the oven.

Killian followed her and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. “Hey, did you, uh, tell Magnus Burnsides I was going to be having a rough day today?”

“I might have. Why?”

“Because he was waiting with two bear claws and my favorite coffee outside the courthouse today.” Killian leaned down and kissed Carey's cheek. “That was sweet, you didn't need to do that.” She handed her a beer. “So, how was _your_ day? Hm?”

Carey shrugged. “Not bad. Filed that appeal this morning, did a few intake interviews.” She snapped her fingers. “My _brother_ called, and they're playing a show next weekend at the Orpheum. Wild, right?”

“That's good for them.”

Carey swatted her hand. “Don't _pick_.”

“I'm _hungry._ ”

“We're waiting on the parsnips.”

“ _Fine_ ” Killian sighed and leaned against the counter. Carey felt her watching, the way she did when she was thinking of something, when she wanted to _say_ something. Carey let her think. Let her watch. She waited.

“...Killian--”

“Are you miserable?”

Carey stopped. “What?”

“Are. You. _Miserable?_ ”

“No. I'm fine.” Killian snorted. “ _What?_ ”

“You did all your work from home today, didn't you?”

Carey shrugged. “Maybe.”

“You did your work from home yesterday, too. You've been doing your work from home all _month_. We have an office, we _own a building_ , what are you doing--”

“Will you _drop it?_ So I don't feel like going into that...that _crypt_ by myself and staring at pictures of my dad shaking hands with the duke or whatever. So I want to be _here_ , where I'm happy, where I can look at pictures of _us_ by the beach or pictures of my brother, or...or the flowers in the backyard--”

“Is that the arrangement for my sister?” Killian asked suddenly. She set down her beer and went over to the table.

Carey sighed. Killian's sister had just had a baby, and Carey, who had always had a way with plants, had made her a flower arrangement from the roses and lillies in their garden. “Yeah,” she said. “It is.”

“Shit, Carey, it's gorgeous. God, she's gonna _love_ this.” Killian looked up and sighed. “Babe, I'm sorry. _I'm sorry_ , I just...I worry about you.” She came over and rested her chin on Carey's shoulder. “If you wanna work from home, work from home. Okay?”

Carey nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Killian kissed her cheek. “Hey, can you set the table? Parsnips are done.”

 

* * *

 

“You know, if she'd just... _talk_ to her aunts, I'm sure they'd be totally fine with everything, but she just _never_ wants to talk to them!” Magnus shook his head. “It's fine that she doesn't... _want_ to talk about stuff. It is! It's just...this is making her miserable, and I don't know what to do about it.”

“Is she talking to you?”

“Not about this.”

Carey sighed. “Well. I know how she feels.”

Magnus raised a brow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It's...hard, sometimes. You know you've got someone who cares about you and they want you to open up, but--” She shrugged. “Sometimes it's easier to keep something to yourself.” She looked at him. “Maybe she's worried about what you'll think of her.”

“We've been married for, like, six years. I'm okay with everything.”

Carey leaned back. “I think she knows that, on some level. But you've gotta be patient with her.”

Magnus angled himself toward her. “Did you not catch the part where we've been married for _six years_?”

Carey scowled. “Killian and I have been married for three and there are _still things_ I don't want to tell her. Okay? God, just leave me _alone._ ”

He pressed his lips together. “Her.”

“What?”

“You meant...her. I should leave Julia alone.”

Carey nodded. “Yeah. What did I say?”

“You.” Magnus reached down and took her hand. “You said I should leave _you_ alone.”

Carey sighed and leaned on his shoulder. “Sorry,” she said. “I just...have a lot on my mind lately. And Killian's so happy with the firm, and she loves everything we're doing, and I just...wanna do something _stupid_. Like who wants to leave a totally great career and...grow flowers?”

Magnus shrugged, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Well. You, I guess. There's nothing wrong with that,” he added. “Me and Jules could have stayed in Raven's Roost, taken over her dad's place eventually. He wanted that. But we...wanted something different. Look, when I told Julia that I'd found a place to buy out here it was...scary. We fought about it, we cried about it.”

“But you did it.”

“Yeah.” Magnus smiled. “We did.”

 

* * *

 

Her mother Rachel had grown flowers. She'd been amazing at it, just like she'd been amazing at everything else, and Carey had learned it all right by her side. Flowers, her father had said, were a waste of time, but he still made sure there were no less than a thousand at her funeral. After that, though, there weren't many flowers in their house. Carey once brought home a violet in a clay pot, and when her father had seen it, he'd dropped it straight into the trash.

“Not another one, do you hear me?”

“I do, sir.”

(that didn't stop Jeremy from bringing home tulips on her birthday, or the two of them from spending their mother's birthday in her favorite nursery every year.

and carey knew that when her father took his walks, he would stop and linger on the neighbor's roses.)

The morning after her talk with Magnus, she got up, and she took a walk. Downtown Neverwinter was beautiful in the morning, she thought. Sun coming up over the buildings, early risers rushing to work. She headed down Barrow Street, knowing the one spot she loved most in the city would still be there, and still be waiting for her, just like it always was.

It was the perfect shop window. The gold lettering atop it was faded, but it had once been a bakery, that had _once_ been a flower shop. The back still had the old greenhouse, but it was tattered and needed to be repaired. Carey sighed wistfully and stared up at the window, imagining her own letters on it.

“Still thinking about _Flower Bombs_ , huh?”

Carey turned. Killian was perched on the edge of the sidewalk, hand slid into her slacks, grinning ear to ear.

“God, sorry. I should have--”

Killian stepped closer. “Is this what's been on your mind lately?” Carey nodded, closing the space between them and resting her head against Killian's chest. “Sweetie.”

“Why can't I just... _be happy_ doing what I'm supposed to be doing?”

Killian drew back. “Who said you were supposed to be a lawyer?”

“I don't know. My dad. My _law degree._ My fifty-grand of _debt—_ ”

“You hate it. You're unhappy. You smell like roses all the time.” Killian cupped her jaw. “That part's not anything really, I just..like to way you smell today.”

“Dork,” Carey murmured. She sighed. “I just...we can't do this. We can't afford it, we don't--”

“So what?” Killian reached down and took Carey's hands. “ _So what_ , Carey? We'll take on some debt. We'll borrow money from my sister, from your brother. Who cares? Carey--” She looked at the store. “Do you want this?” Carey nodded. “Then let's just... _stop_. I'll stay at the firm and you'll grow flowers, and we'll...we'll do this. Okay?”

Carey nodded. “Okay. I just...gotta tell my dad.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “You _know_ why.”

 

* * *

 

“Dad's gonna flip.” Jeremy took another bite out of his pizza, cheese falling down his chin. “Like. _Really_ flip.”

“He's retired,” Carey said. “Why should he care?”

“Uh, I don't know, because it's _Fangbattle_ and Associates, and you know how weirded out he was when you wanted Killian to hyphenate.”

Carey scowled. “Well it's technically _my_ practice. And, according to Faerunian law on the inheritance of property, both physical and intellectual, it is also my _wife's_. And _she_ can continue to manage it.”

“While you grow flowers.”

“Yeah...while I...grow flowers.” Carey sighed. “I thought you'd be _cool_ with this.”

“Oh, I am.” Jeremy looked around. “My, uh, my _band's_ getting some studio time next week.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, so you know, if dad blows his top and you need to take some of the heat off ya, just tell him I might be quitting, too.”

“...I think that might give him a heart attack.”

Jeremy sighed. “Yeah, maybe let's not.”

 

* * *

 

Her father still lived in the house Carey and her brother had grown up in, so going there was...hard, sometimes. She pulled the car up onto the curb and sat for a moment, closing her eyes and gripping the wheel. She could do this. She...she could _do this._ Right?

Right.

She got out of her car and jogged up the steps to the front door. She almost knocked, too, but the door swung open and there stood her father, squinting up at her. Carey was always small for a dragonborn – her father, and even her mother, had always been smaller.

“You sat in your car for five minutes. What's wrong?”

“.. _Hi dad_ , it's good to see you, too.” Carey maneuvered around him. She sniffed. “Is something burning?”

“Yes. My lunch. Because I had to come to the door to see what you were doing--”

“ _Dad!_ ” Carey ran into the kitchen and yanked open the oven, grabbing a towel and pulling the pan out. Whatever he was making was smoking in the center and black around the edges. “Is this a Shepard's Pie?”

“It was.” Carey sighed, tossing the pan onto the counter. “ _Careful with that_ ,” her father snapped.

“Dad, stop it.”

He scowled, plopping down in a chair and folding his arms over his chest. He looked...even smaller, this way, and Carey thought for a moment she was doing the wrong thing. Maybe Jeremy was right. Maybe it would do more harm than good, maybe she needed to just –

“You're thinking about something,” he said.

“Yeah, dad. You want some sandwiches?”

“Fine.” His eyes followed her across the kitchen. “What are you thinking about?”

She sighed. “Um, I don't know. I don't...I don't know, dad. I just--”

“ _Stop_ stammering. It's not becoming _or_ professional--”

“ _I know_ , dad. You hate it. You've told me sixteen hundred times.”

“Don't snap at me,” he said.

Carey set a plate in front of him. “Sorry.”

“What's gotten into you?” he asked. “Why are you so grumpy?”

She sighed, trying to pick up her sandwich, but...nothing. No appetite.

“Dad.”

“What?”

“Look, there's...there's no easy way to say this, I just...I mean I want to--”

“ _The stammering, Carey--_ ”

“I'm leaving the firm.” Her father stilled, staring at her. “...Dad?”

He cleared his throat. “No you're not.”

“Dad--”

“You will not leave that firm to...to...gallivant around and...and _grow flowers!_ ”

“You don't know--”

“I have _always_ known,” he said, pointing. “And you will not leave your firm to that...that _wife_ of yours--”

“Oh good! You're finally okay with that!”

“I was _never_ angry about you marrying Killian, she's talented and I am happy about the success that the _two of you_ have brought to my firm--”

“ _My_ firm.” Carey stood quickly. “You left it to me. It's mine. Mine and Killian's. And if I want to leave it, then I will _leave it._ ”

He stared at her, mouth hanging open, trying to work out something to say.

“Dad--”

“This is what you were _meant to do_ ,” he said. “You were top of your class, you did better than me, better than your brother, better than _anyone_. Why would you throw that away? Why would you just...just _give up?_ ”

“I'm miserable, dad.” She sat in her chair and pulled it closer to him. “I'm so, _so_ miserable, daddy, why can't you see that?” Carey reached over, pushed his plate out of the way and grabbed his hand. “I'm unhappy and I can't do it anymore.” She took his other hand. “Don't you...don't you _miss_ flowers, dad?”

He looked down. “I miss your mother,” he said.

“Yeah.” Carey smiled. “I...I miss her, too. And I know it's been hard, dad, I really do. I just...I want to do something I'm _happy_ doing. And I know you think it's stupid, I know you've always hated flowers and--”

“I haven't always hated flowers,” he said quietly. “I used to love them. It's how I met your mother, you know. In the botanical gardens. She was giving tours, right out of college. I went in every day just to...to learn about plants I couldn't remember the names of. After a few weeks, she figured me out.” He smiled. “Well. I'm sure she had me figured out _before_ then, but--”

“Daddy.”

“I wanted this for you because...because I wanted to leave behind a legacy. Both my children, picking up where I left off and I just thought...I thought if I wanted it bad enough _for_ you, you'd want it too.” He looked at her. “I never asked you what you wanted, did I?”

“It's okay--”

“No. It's not. It's awful, and I'm angry at myself, now. Your mother would have hated it. She always wanted the two of you to do what made you happy. That's the only reason we let your brother do marching band. Well, that and it made the neighbor's angry, and you know how much that made her laugh.” Carey grinned. “I'm sorry, my dear. I...I really am.”

“I'm sorry, too.”

He put his other hand over hers. “Your mother would be proud, you know.”

Carey nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“And you know.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I'm very proud of you, too.”

 

* * *

 

“This is _great_ , Carey. I mean _really._ ” Magnus put a hand on her shoulder. “ _Flower Bombs_ , love it.”

“It was her favorite hobby in law school,” Killian said. She ran her hand over the gold lettering on the door. “Okay, we're all set, we've got everything inside.” She looked over her list. “Where's your dad?”

“Here!” Jeremy waved at them as he opened the passenger side door of his car. “We're here, we're here.”

Their father gripped Jeremy's arm as they made their way over. “Is this it?”

“It is.” Carey went to him and kissed his cheek. “Come on, I'll show you everything.”

“Merle's here!” Killian called out. He waved to them as he helped Mookie out of the car. Killian went up to her and put an arm around her waist. “You ready to open up?”

Carey nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

“Hold on, hold on.” Julia reached into her bag and pulled out her camera. “You two get in front, stand by the door.” She grinned from behind the camera. “Alright, one...two... _three!_ ”

The flash went off. Carey saw stars, but – she figured it wasn't because of the camera.

She figured it was because of, well, everything. Everything working out, everyone hugging her, everyone walking around the shop and smelling the flowers and congratulating her.

She was seeing stars and the moon and everything in between.

Killian reached down for her hand. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I love you.” She kissed her nose. “And I can't wait to see what you do next.”

Carey grinned. “What _we_ do next,” she said.

Killian laughed. “Us,” she said.

Carey sighed leaning on her shoulder. “Yeah.” She breathed. Smelled roses. “ _Us._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "it gets better" by fun.


	10. safe (davenport)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davenport takes a leap. Merle has unhealthy coping mechanisms, and the beach is beautiful at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i got my boys together! special thanks to mildlydiscouraging (@moonfullofstars on tumblr) for helping me hash that out. also i'm sad to say the fun. lyrics are coming to a close, i'm running out of happy ones so i'm not sure what i'll be doing next, but i was thinking about bleachers? we'll see. also i made a note on tumblr, but after this~ chapter i'll probably be doing combined perspective chapters? i'm not sure. i've got some good good angus content coming up, and some barry/lup and taako/kravitz stuff to work through. and magnus and julia are having problems and we gotta take care of that. okay. hope you enjoy!

_I'll find somebody who will stitch me up_  
_Though I've never been better when we're falling apart_  
_I know we can do it if we do it all night_  
_You put the keys in the car and drive_

 

* * *

 

Davenport didn't want to say it, he hardly even wanted to _think it_ , but – it was time for them to leave _The Joyful Duck._

They were coming close to being open for a year, and Davenport felt – no, he _knew_ – it was time to start thinking about moving on. Telling himself that was...not the easiest thing. Telling Lucretia, a bit harder.

Telling Magnus –

“Wait, you're _what?_ ”

“Listen, Magnus, we...we do this for a living. We do this for other people, sometimes.”

Magnus looked surprised. He'd been there when they told Avi, and they'd certainly had this discussion before, but – their time at the Duck had never had an expiration date, until now. One week after their one year anniversary, and Davenport and Lucretia would go.

“Well. Well, okay.”

“It's not about not wanting to be here,” Lucretia said, putting hand over his. Magnus gave her a warm smile. “You know I want to be here. All the time.”

“I do,” he said. “And I...I understand. I know you've got this business, and you've got to move on. Really, I do. I just...we made a family here, over the last year. Losing you guys...”

“You won't be losing us,” Lucretia said firmly.

“Yeah.” Davenport leaned forward. “We're staying in the city. And we'll be back as often as we can.”

Magnus waved a hand. “Hey,” he said. “Don't...don't make promises like that. My goofy brain'll try to hold you to 'em. You guys gotta...gotta do what you have to do.” He rubbed at his eye. “Sorry,” he said. “You probably told Jules this morning.”

“...Yeah,” Davenport said. “How did you know?”

“Oh, she was just slammin' stuff around in the office. Not talking.” He paused. “Well, then again, that may not have been about you. That's just...been the norm, lately.” He sighed and stood. “Okay, I've...I've gotta make sure we're good on produce for next week. Um. Thank you,” he said. “For everything you've done.” He leaned down and gave Lucretia a quick kiss on the forehead. “I'll be in the back if you need me.”

After he'd gone, Davenport sighed, stretching in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. “That wasn't so bad.”

“He'll be alright,” Lucretia mused. “But I wonder if we're making the right decision.”

“Lucretia. You know it's time to move on.”

“Oh, I know _that._ But I wonder if...if _you're_ making the right decision.” She looked at him, and Davenport knew.

“No, no. We've talked about this, it is _not_ a good idea. The odds for success are incredibly low, I'd be risking _years_ of life savings--”

“You told me when I was still your student that you wanted to have something of your own.”

“I wish I hadn't,” Davenport muttered. “You've been holding that over my head ever since we became partners.”

Lucretia shrugged. “It's alright if you don't want to,” she said, standing and gathering her notes. “I just think you'd be far more successful at it then you _think_ you would be.” She looked toward the door and smile. “Good afternoon, Avi.”

Avi waved. “Hey guys. Um, everything okay?”

“We settled on the date,” she said.

Avi nodded. “Right, right. After the one year, I'm guessing?” Lucretia nodded. “Nice round number, good way to leave things. Did you tell Magnus?”

“He'll be fine,” Lucretia said.

Avi laughed. “Yeah, he's, uh, he's definitely the only one I'd be worried about.” He pulled off his jacket. “You headin' out, Lucretia?”

“I am.”

“Okay. Just wanted to ask you a couple things--” The two of them wandered into the dining room. Avi's training was going well, but he didn't know things the way Lucretia did, meaning Davenport had to pick up a lot of the slack. He didn't mind it. He knew Avi was going to be good at this, and he knew the Duck was going to do great without them, but –

Magnus was right. There was family here, it was unlike any place else Davenport had worked before. He was attached to the crew, he was attached to the food, to Magnus and Julia. He loved the customers, admired their regulars, admired the way people seemed to _beam_ when they found out he was working at _this_ restaurant, the pride and joy of Humble Street –

“Hey, Dav.” Davenport turned and saw Merle shrugging out of his jacket and reaching for his apron. “You look, uh, contemplative, I guess. Would be the word.” Merle grinned. “Everything alright?”

Davenport swallowed. “Uh, yeah. _Yes._ Yes, everything is fine.”

Merle nodded. “That's good!” He pointed. “You worked a double yesterday, and pretty much every other day this week. You gotta take some time.”

“I'm needed here,” Davenport said, righting himself. “It's really fine, things we'll slow down when Lucretia and I--”

“ _Merle!_ ” The door to the kitchen swung open and Magnus stuck his head out. “Minor emergency, come help me check these eggplants.”

“On it, boss!” Merle finished tying his apron and turned to Davenport.

He _winked._

“Duty calls,” he said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Davenport swallowed the _grapefruit_ that had grown up in his throat. He felt Lucretia's hand on his shoulder and he looked up.

“I _really_ think you should reconsider.”

“There's nothing _left_ to consider, Lucretia.”

“Your feelings?”

Davenport snorted. “There are none. Don't you need to get going?”

Lucretia sighed and looked at her watch. “I do. I'm sorry,” she added.

Davenport held up a hand. “Don't be. Your mother...she's important. Go to her.”

She nodded and moved to leave, but not before she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. Davenport closed his eyes.

“I just wish,” she said quietly, “that you would consider yourself every so often. You said you were here for me, and you always have been.” Lucretia pulled back. “You must know that I'm here for you, too, my friend.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze and left.

Davenport stared after her, his body still warm from the places he'd touched her.

Magnus had found in Lucretia the sister he'd once loved.

In Lucretia, Davenport had always wanted a daughter.

Sometimes she told him he had that, just not in so many words.

 

* * *

 

They met when Davenport was Lucretia's professor, when she was getting a hospitality management degree in Luskan. Davenport knew she was clever, enjoyed her projects and the time they spent together in his office hours. When she graduated, she told him she had an idea – and she wanted him to be a part of it.

That was one thing he'd never hesitated at. Her plans didn't give him pause – instead, they gave him a much needed _jolt._ He'd been stagnating at the university. There were no tenure tracks in his future, and teaching had frankly been one of the last things he wanted to do.

Davenport wanted to, well, _do._ He wanted to be a part of things and build things and see them flourish and grow.

Ten years ago, he and Lucretia went into business together. It still felt _right_ , and it still felt like they could do it for ten more, but –

He'd once told her of a plan he'd had, and ever since she'd suggested it at the end of every year or so at another place. She sat across from him, and she wondered.

Davenport wanted a place of his own, something he could build himself from the ground up. Not a restaurant, he had never been very good at dealing with food. What he wanted was a bar, and he had the perfect place in mind. It was hardly a stone's throw from the Duck, just down the street, really. Hell, there was even space _next_ to the Duck that Magnus and Julia were considering buying.

“If you told them your plan, I think they'd go into business with you.”

“That's messy,” Davenport said. “And it's not a good idea to go into business with friends.” Lucretia raised a brow. “You _know_ what I mean. We weren't as close then, anyway.”

“I felt like we were, but if that's what you think.”

“It's a bad idea,” he said. “And I'd...I'd appreciate it if we could just...drop it.”

“Alright.”

“We need to find our next place.”

“We do,” she said, and true to form – she did not mention the bar again.

Not...for a while.

 

* * *

 

One Wednesday after closing, Davenport ran over the checklist one last time and glanced up toward the bar – and there was Merle. He was looking over his phone and taking long drinks from a very full glass, which didn't seem like the _best_ sign, really. Davenport sighed and went over to him, tapping on the bar.

“You okay?”

Merle looked up. “Oh! Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just...” He glanced into the glass. “Well, I had a plan, but I don't think I thought it through.”

“Everything alright?”

“Sure. I just sold the RV and, uh, I.” He cleared his throat. “I bought a house.” He held up his phone, showing Davenport a picture of a little place by the beach.

“Hey, that's _great!_ ” Davenport smiled. “That's really great. You tell your kids yet?”

“Nah, they're, uh, they're on a trip. With their mom.” He cleared his throat. “And her new boyfriend.” Davenport made a face. “Oh, no, no, it's not like that. He seems like a good guy, the kids really like him. And they should, you know, have, like, a role model. A good father figure.”

“Well. They have you.”

Merle snorted. “I'm not exactly role model material.” He tipped his glass forward and stared into it for a moment. “I didn't do right by them.”

“Merle--”

“I left, you know. Mook was a toddler, so he doesn't remember much, but...Mavis does. And I know she looks at me sometimes and just...” He shook his head, drained the rest of his glass. “I need some better coping mechanisms.”

Davenport sighed. “Well, at least don't do it alone.” He reached over the bar and grabbed a glass, and Merle laughed as he filled it. “We aren't drinking up the profits are we?”

“Nah, this is Barry's stash. For emergencies.” They did a little toast and sat in silence for a moment. Merle sighed. “I just...I've been tryin' to do right, you know? I've been tryin' and I can't seem to _get it._ I'm really hoping the house helps. My ex hates the RV. She hated that the kids stayed there with me, couldn't stand it.”

“Is she, uh...does she give you--”

“Hecuba? Nah. She's a good woman. She just wants what's best for her kids, and she wound up stuck with me.”

“I wouldn't say _stuck_ \--”

“Dav.” Merle looked at him. “I did a really shitty thing. I was a really shitty dad and an even shittier husband. I've accepted that. It's okay if you do, too.” He drained his glass.

Davenport filled it again.

Probably not the best choice, but – when he did, Merle smiled.

That was worth it.

 

* * *

 

“ _Seriously?_ ” Merle _laughed._ “You're kiddin' me.”

“I'm not! It was the filthiest place we'd ever walked into. Lucretia lost a _shoe_ in the walk in, the floor was covered in... _something._ ”

Merle shook his head and reached for the bottle, but it was empty. “Aw, hell.”

“Did we finish it?”

“Yup.”

“Well maybe we--” Davenport looked up as the kitchen door swung open and Magnus stood there in his sweats and a t-shirt, blinking at them. “Um.”

“ _Guys._ It's _three in the morning._ ”

Merle looked around. “Is it?”

“It _is._ Julia wants to _kill you._ We can hear you upstairs.”

They looked at one another before busting out laughing.

Merle sighed. “Alright, we're sorry.” He moved to get off the stool and stumbled. “I should, uh. Well. Well, I'll sleep here.”

Magnus sighed. “ _Why?_ ”

“Merle bought a _house._ ”

“Uh-huh.”

“But it's not ready yet,” Merle said.

“Okay.”

“But he sold the RV.” Davenport paused. “Did I get it right.”

Merle _beamed._ “You did!”

“Hey!”

Magnus shushed them. “ _Alright!_ Just...you guys can come upstairs and crash on the couch, you can't drive home or...sleep down here, good grief, Merle.” He led them through the kitchen and followed them up the stairs. Inside, he pointed at the sofa. “You're gonna have to share.”

“Not a problem,” Merle said. He plopped down on one end of the couch and almost immediately started snoring.

Magnus put a hand on Davenport's shoulder. “You okay?”

“Hmm?”

“You just, uh. I don't know. This doesn't seem like you.”

“Oh, I'm good, I'm good.”

“Alright.” Magnus turned to go back into his room, yawning wide. “Night, Dav.”

“...Night, Magnus.”

 

* * *

 

Davenport woke up alone on the couch. His watch said it was six, which was later than he usually woke up, but his bones felt like rubber and his head was pounding. He stood and glanced toward the kitchen where he saw Merle and Magnus moving about, chatting happily.

“Morning Dav!” Magnus leaned around the corner and grinned. “You want eggs?”

“Um. Sure.” Davenport pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He heard someone set a glass on the coffee table, and he looked up to see Merle with a bottle of aspirin. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“ _How are you awake?_ ”

“Dunno! Always been a morning person.”

“Of course you are.” Davenport sighed and popped a few of the pills and drained the water. Merle chuckled and went back into the kitchen.

“Mornin' Jules!”

“Mmhm.” Davenport looked up and saw Julia shuffling into the kitchen, scrubbing her hands over her face. She looked up at Davenport as Magnus pressed a cup of coffee in her hands and kissed her forehead. They raised their cups in anti-morning solidarity, and it seemed all was forgiven.

 

* * *

 

“So, uh, you and Merle--”

“We're friends. Did you do the produce order, Magnus?”

“Yeah. But you guys were up til three in the morning drinking together, that's a big deal.”

“He was upset. You need to teach Avi to do that, you know.”

Magnus sighed. “ _Alright_ , I get it. You don't want to talk about it. You and everyone else around here,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I'll work with Avi later.” He wandered off, shaking his head and talking to himself. Davenport sighed, scrubbing his face and looking around for his water.

“Looking for _this?_ ” Davenport turned and saw Taako dangling his water bottle between his fingers. “You look like shit, boss-man.”

“Long night.”

“Yeah.” Lup walked up next to him. “We, uh. We _heard._ ” She held up the empty whiskey bottle. “And deduced.”

“ _You owe me another bottle!_ ” Barry called from the bar.

“You owe him another bottle,” Lup agreed.

Davenport sighed. “I really _don't_ have time to talk about this. It's almost dinner--” He snatched the water bottle from Taako. “Can we get to work, please? Don't you two have prepwork to do for the night?”

“Lots,” Taako said. “But we could listen to you talk about your bar date with Merle.”

“It was _not_ a bar date. We had a few drinks--”

“Crashed upstairs--”

“ _Yes_ ,” Davenport snapped. “Look, this entire conversation is completely inappropriate.”

“But last night wasn't?”

“It _was_ ,” he said. “Which is why I don't want to talk about it _anymore._ ”

Lup held up her hands. “Okay, okay. We just want to make sure you're happy.”

“I'm _fine._ ”

“If you say so,” Taako said with a shrug, and the two of them disappeared into the kitchen.

Davenport sighed. “Sorry, Barry.”

“No worries.” Barry came up to him and clasped his shoulder. “That's what the emergency stash is for.”

“Yeah...” He sighed. “Hey, uh, could you...not mention what happened last night to Lucretia?”

“Uh, sure. You know Magnus is gonna tell her though, right?”

“I do. I just...figure one version of events is enough.”

“Sure thing.” Barry smiled and headed back down the bar.

 

* * *

 

It was easy to move on from what happened at the bar, mostly because of Merle. He wasn't the kind of guy who stressed about these sorts of things, didn't press the issue or tease. Davenport appreciated that. Besides, he was getting enough grief over it from Lucretia – he hadn't seen her this happy about something in _weeks._

“It would be so _good_ for you,” she said. “If Merle felt the same way--”

“I don't _feel_ any particular... _thing_ for Merle”

Lucretia raised a brow. “No?”

“No. Absolutely not. It's completely inappropriate. It shouldn't have happened, and _you_ should know better than to push this.”

She shrugged. “I just want to see you happy.”

“I _am happy_ ,” he snapped.

Lucretia sighed. “Yes, you're very convincing.” She glanced at her watch. “Alright, I have to get going.”

“Ah,” Davenport said. “This wouldn't happen to finally be your, ah, first _date_ with someone in particular, would it?”

“ _Shh._ ”

“We heard first date!” Lup yelled, bursting out of the kitchen. “Well, we'd been eavesdropping, so of course we did.”

“First date?” Magnus pushed them out of the way. “With who?”

“ _No one._ ” She turned on Davenport and scowled.

“Wait, is it...is it Maureen?” Magnus was grinning. “It is, isn't it.”

“ _Yes_ , fine. We're, um. We're having an early dinner at the The Morehouse. And that's _it._ ”

“The Morehouse is _fancy_ ,” Lup said. She leaned against Magnus as he put an arm on her shoulder. “Like, _really_ fancy.”

“Super fancy,” he agreed.

“I'm _leaving_ ,” Lucretia said loudly. “Goodbye.” She waved over her shoulder.

“Have fun!” Merle called. He was coming in from the dining room, tucking his glasses into his shirt pocket. “She seems real happy lately.”

“Yeah.” Magnus smiled. “She does.” He sighed. “Alright, I've gotta help Avi with the produce order. You guys want anything special?”

“ _Jack fruit_ ,” Taako yelled.

“ _I told you it's really expensive._ ”

“ _Just one! They're bigger than you are!_ ”

“ _That's not true!_ ” Magnus shouted, and stormed into the kitchen.

Davenport sighed. “Alright, let's just...get through this evening, please.” Lup shrugged and followed after Magnus – leaving Davenport alone with Merle.

It was awkward for a moment, but Merle finally chuckled and said, “Hey, I never told you thanks for the other night. It, uh, it really meant a lot to me that you listened.”

Davenport shrugged. “What are friends for?”

“Right, yeah.” Merle sniffed. “Shockingly enough I, uh, I don't have many of those. This place here is as close to friends as I've gotten in years. Maybe even family.”

“Yeah, I uh, I know what you mean.”

“Anyway. Thanks.” Merle put a hand on Davenport's arm. “It meant a lot. Really.”

Davenport swallowed. “Um. Yeah. Yeah, it was no trouble. Any time, seriously.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Merle grinned. “Well. How about tonight? You should come to the house for a bit, check it out! We picked out a new sofa, got some pictures up. The kids aren't with me this weekend, so we can have a few beers, sit on the porch. It's beautiful at night.”

Davenport felt eyes on him, and he knew Lup and Taako and Barry were definitely watching.

But the opportunity was just... _there_. And even if he had to go his entire life without Merle knowing that he had a stupid schoolboy crush on him – well, it would be alright to sit by the beach and watch the world go by.

“Sure,” he said.

And funny enough – he didn't regret it.

 

* * *

 

He only regretted it later, when Lucretia sent him a text, likely prompted by Lup's quick reflexes.

 **lucretia:** enjoy your evening  
**davenport:** it doesn't mean anything  
**lucretia:** it does but it's alright  
**davenport:** please stop  
**lucretia:** i think you'd be surprised to know how he feels  
**davenport:** do you know something?  
**lucretia: i** don't but i think you should take the risk

Davenport sighed. Lucretia was all about the risks these days. When they'd met she'd been far more cautious, but finding Magnus, taking care of her mother – hell, even _Maureen_ was making her bolder. It was strange though – Davenport didn't...really mind it. He'd always felt Lucretia was holding the most important parts of herself back.

Maybe he was, too.

And maybe what he needed to do was take that risk, step off the edge without looking down and just...go for it.

What was the worst that could happen? A great, kind, gentle guy could let him down easy? Never hold it against him? Always have a decent word to say?

(that wasn't what was scary, though, and he knew that. he knew the scary part was that the _best_ could happen, that merle could feel the same way and everyone would be right and davenport could be...happy.

for some reason _that_ – it scared the hell out of him.)

 

* * *

 

“The place looks great, Merle.”

“Doesn't it?”

“Yeah, you really did a nice job. I'm happy for you. Have the kids seen it?”

“Once, but it looks better than when they were here last. Even Hecuba's impressed.”

“Hey!” Davenport grinned. “That's really good!”

“I know, I know. She's a tough one, you know. Always was.” Merle sighed and led him out onto the porch. They settled on the front steps. “Magnus is gonna make me some chairs. Said he's been itchin' to carve something.”

“I forgot he did that.”

“Oh, yeah, he and Jules are artists, honestly. She's a really gifted painter, did you know that?”

“I didn't.”

“Yep.” Merle took a drink of his beer. “That picture in their living room of the cliffside and the wildflowers, that was hers.”

Davenport nodded. He remembered that painting. “That's impressive.”

“People always surprise you, don't they? You know, you'd expect someone like Magnus to be married to someone...well. More like him, I guess. But Julia's different. And Taako! You'd expect him to be with someone a little more out there, but that Dr. Kravitz, he's a cool customer. 'Course, then you got Lup and Barry, but that just makes sense--”

“Lup and Barry are dating?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Well, sort of. They're, uh. Takin' it slow. Very, _very_ slow, from what I understand.”

“Huh.” Davenport...didn't know that. He knew about Avi and Johann, he knew about everyone and everything else, but--

“Aw, don't take it personally. They're pretty private people, considering.”

“Yeah. I guess they are.”

Merle nodded. “Kinda like you.”

“Like _me?_ ”

“Yeah.” He glanced over. “You're, you know. Guarded. I don't know much about you. Just what you said about you and Lucretia, really. But that's...it. I mean every time we're together, I go on and on about _me_ and you just...let it happen.”

Davenport looked down at the sandy steps. “Well. I...like hearing about you.”

“And I appreciate it. I just...there isn't anything you wanna tell me? Nothin' you...wanna share? Even the playing field?”

Davenport swallowed. “I didn't know we were playing a game.”

Merle nudged him with his shoulder. “Sure we are.” He took a drink. “We're playin' the game where I keep on touching you and inviting you places and droppin' hints and you...well, you keep on keepin' everything to yourself. Including the way you feel about me.”

Davenport looked up, _flinched_ , almost. “ _Who--_ ”

“You did.” Merle angled himself toward him. “ _You_ told me how you felt about me. All I had to do was pick up the signs. I just..didn't wanna push you, but...you're leavin' soon and I...” Merle sighed. “I thought that since you and Lucretia were gonna go, then maybe you might feel more comfortable around me. And maybe we...could give this a shot.”

Davenport blinked. “...Oh.”

“But if you don't--”

“I do.” He set down his beer and angled himself toward Merle. “I, um. I do.”

Merle smiled. “Do _what?_ ”

“I...have these feelings for you. I don't know where they came from. I just...I mean it probably started after we got into the routine, you know, and...and you're good at your job, and I admire the way you take care of your kids and how you're...you're honest, and--” Davenport sighed. “I'm sorry. It doesn't make sense. I just...I like _you_ , Merle.”

Merle chuckled. “Well, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I understand.”

“Doesn't make—” Davenport frowned. “Hey. You're...you're _great_ , alright. Look, I know you made mistakes, and I won't try and apologize for you, or anything, but...but you're _trying_ , okay? And you tell me all the time that Mavis looks at you and she's ashamed, but I _know._ ” He put a finger against Merle's chest. “I've seen her look at you and I know she loves you, alright? Those kids...they love you, Merle.”

Merle...stared.

Davenport grabbed his hands. “You're right. This is game and it's stupid. I don't want to play it anymore.”

“No?”

“No. I want...I want to _be_ with you. If...if you'll--”

“Hey.” Merle gripped his hands back. “You don't have to tell me twice.” He paused. “Unless you want to.”

“I'll say it a thousand times, if that means anything.”

“As long as each time means _something_ ,” Merle said quietly. “Then you can say it as much as you want.”

Davenport grinned. He leaned forward, further into Merle's space, right against his nose. “I want to be with you,” he said. “I want to _be_ with you.”

Merle laughed. “I wanna be with you, too.”

“Yeah?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” he said.

And then he kissed him.

It was the first in such a long time. Davenport felt his body lurch into it, and then settle against the rhythm. Merle was excellent at this, but Davenport wasn't a slouch. He kissed back, reached for him and held Merle's face in his hands and gave it his all.

It'd been a long time since he'd done that with someone, too.

And it...felt _good._

 

* * *

 

“ _Dav, I love you, but it's two AM._ ”

“I kissed Merle.”

Lucretia made a choking noise. “ _You what?_ ”

“I kissed him. I...I told him. And you...you were right.”

“ _...no it's just Davenport...yeah, hold on, I'll_ \--”

“Are you...with Maureen?”

“ _...Maybe._ ”

He laughed. “Alright, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you--”

“ _No._ ” Lucretia laughed. “ _I want to hear everything. From the beginning._ ”

“I can tell you--”

“ _I want to hear it now,_ ” she said quietly. “ _While it's still right there with you._ ”

“Won't be a problem,” Davenport said. “I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "stitch me up" by fun.


	11. shine (angus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus looks for home. Magnus and Julia work things out, and somehow, there's still a train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god this chapter got so out of control it's like almost 6000 words but i had to get ango in there and sort some stuff out. enjoy!!

_And I wanna get up_  
_To the rhythm of a wild, to the rhythm of a wild heart_  
_That beats, that beats like a drum_

 

* * *

 

If he went far enough down Green Street, Angus could avoid the cops who hung out around the school to make sure no one was skipping. He wasn't, obviously, _supposed_ to be sitting in a tree in a park reading a physics text book. He was supposed to be in fifth grade science, suffering through painstaking lectures on things he already understood.

But he hated that. So. He wasn't doing it.

Instead he was here.

He shouldn't have been, but he was.

Sister Mary Paul was going to kill him.

Two years ago, Angus had been living with his grandfather. Two years ago, he'd been homeschooled by his grandfather, a genius astrophysicist and professor, and all his former colleagues. Two years ago, Angus had been perfectly, exquisitely, _wonderfully_ happy.

And then his grandfather died.

And he wasn't.

The Sisters of Istus in Neverwinter had taken him in after his grandfather had died. Everyone said it was good. Everyone said that boys and girls who went to live with the Sisters of Istus found their families. It was _fate._

But Angus had been with them for over two years and no one seemed to want him. He tried not to take it personally. He tried to just...move on. It was fine, right? It was okay. It was...it just _was._ He couldn't force anything, and the Sisters – well, they adhered to the teachings of their patron goddess well. They encouraged Angus to pray to her, but to always remember – the Lady Istus always knew what was best.

Angus, pardon his language, thought that was a load of _horseshit._

He did today, anyway. Today was his grandfather's birthday, and what broke his heart more than anything in the entire world was the realization that no one in the city but him knew that. He couldn't call his old teachers, some of them had passed on, too. He couldn't tell his classmates, they didn't care. Angus sighed as he swung his legs back and forth, no longer interested in physics. What he wanted most in the world, right then, was to have his grandfather's favorite breakfast. Two eggs, tea, and toast.

Quickly, he put the book into his bag and climbed down the tree. There was a place he'd read about, the sort of place his grandfather would have loved. If he acted cool, like maybe it wasn't even a school day, they'd serve him. Angus grinned and raced up the road toward Humble Street.

 

* * *

 

 _The Joyful Duck_ was always busy in the early morning, it seemed, but around nine on a Tuesday things had settled down. Angus got himself a seat at the breakfast bar and waited for the woman behind the counter to spot him. It...was pretty obvious when she did. They probably didn't get a lot of eleven year olds buying breakfast by themselves.

She stopped in front of him, leaned forward and smiled. Angus prepared himself for the worst. But, instead: “You hungry, hon?”

“Um, yes please.”

“What can we make for you?”

“Two eggs, tea, and toast,” he said.

She laughed. “You had that all planned out, didn't you?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Angus gave his best smile, and she turned to the window and called out, “ _Mags! Two eggs and a piece of toast!_ White or wheat, sweetheart?”

“Wheat, please.”

“ _Make it wheat, babe!_ ” She turned and got down a mug and poured hot water into it before bringing it over with a bag of breakfast tea. “So. What's your name?”

“Angus.”

“And how old are you, Angus?”

“Eleven, ma'am.”

“Wow,” she said. “You're a lucky kid that your folks let you skip school _and_ have breakfast by yourself.”

He felt himself flush. “ _Please_ don't call anyone. Please, I...I promise--”

“Hey.” She held up a hand. “I'm not gonna rat you out today, kiddo. But you really should be in school, alright? It's important.” The bell rang and she turned and grabbed his plate. “Over easy alright for you?”

“It's perfect,” Angus said. He relaxed a bit.

The woman smiled and handed him some butter and jam. “We all have those days,” she said. “You're allowed one every once in a while. But don't let me catch you in here again for a while, you go it?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Angus cleared his throat. “What's _your_ name?” he asked, and extended a hand.

She laughed. “I'm Julia,” she said, and they shook. “It's real nice to meet you, Angus.”

 

* * *

 

Whoever she was, Angus liked her. So the next day he went back to going to school pretty much full time. He'd gotten in trouble with Sister Ruth the month before for skipping, and he'd been walking on thin ice ever since, but no one seemed to notice his breakfast adventure. It'd been nice to meet someone who treated him like he knew what he was doing, and even nicer still to be able to trust them.

He wished he'd told her he lived with the Sisters, but it was always awkward whenever someone assumed he had parents and he had to tell them he didn't. Angus didn't really like the looks. He hated when people felt sorry for him.

And then his birthday came around, and he turned twelve and Sister Mary Paul made him a cake. It should have made him happy. It _should_ have made him grateful to feel so loved.

(And it did, it _did_ do all of those things, he could swear up and down that it did – )

But it made him lonely, too. He missed his family. He missed having one. The Sisters were so good to him, they loved him so _much_ , but – Angus thought about his grandfather, and how much he missed him. He thought about the only photo of his parents he had, and how much he wanted to remember them.

And he thought about the lady in the restaurant, and how she didn't treat him like he was breakable, or lost. It was like...she knew him, maybe. Just a little.

So – Angus skipped again, and went to _The Joyful Duck_ for breakfast.

 

* * *

 

“Two eggs, tea, and toast?”

“Yes ma'am.”

She called his order. “Little late today, huh?”

“Um...I snuck out later this time.”

“Gotcha. Needed a day?”

“Sorta.” He took the tea from her. “Is this your restaurant?”

“It is,” she said. “Mine and my husband's.”

“Do you like working here?”

“I do,” she said, smiling. “I'm very happy. Most days,” she added.

“Only most days?”

Julia shrugged. “We're all allowed days when we aren't happy. Isn't that why you skipped school?”

“Yesterday was my birthday, and I...it made me sad.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

“Yeah, um, Sister Mary Paul made me a cake, and it was real sweet of her, I just...I missed my grampa. See, that's why I came in the last time, too.” He looked into his cup. He wanted to tell her, so, he did, but he didn't want to see her face. It just...felt good to say it out loud.

Angus felt a hand over his, and looked up.

“You live with the Sisters of Istus?” Angus nodded. Julia smiled. “You know, I think I have someone you should meet.” Julia went into the kitchen for a few moments, but it wasn't her who came back.

Instead, it was the tallest man Angus had ever met. He had to duck to get under the door, ever so slightly, and he was wearing an apron large enough that Angus could have slept in it. He looked, saw Angus at the bar, and _grinned._

“Two eggs and toast?”

“Y-y-yes, sir.”

The man leaned forward and set his plate down. “I'm Magnus,” he said. “Did I hear right? That you're living with the Sisters here in the city?”

“I am.”

“Huh. I didn't know they had a house here.”

“For about four years, sir. Um, what's this about?”

Magnus smiled and handed Angus his jam and butter. “I lived with the Sisters, too,” he said. “In Luskan. For five years,” he added.

“ _Five years?_ ”

“I know. They tell you it doesn't take long once you live with them, but...sometimes the Lady takes her time. It's alright when she does,” Magnus added. “All these things...they work out for a reason.”

“So you...you got adopted.”

“Sure did.”

“So I'm...I'm not a lost cause,” Angus said.

“Hey. You couldn't be, you know?” Magnus put a hand on his shoulder. “You've got some good women looking out for you. They'll do right. And you know, tomorrow could be your day, or even next week.”

“Or _never_ ,” Angus muttered.

“There's always a chance, kiddo, but...but you gotta have _faith._ ”

“That's stupid,” Angus said.

“Yeah, sounds that way 'cause you're, what, ten?”

“ _Twelve._ ”

“Right. Sounds that way because you're closer to bein' a teenager than you are to bein' agreeable, but that's okay. You'll understand. Now, finish your breakfast. I'm gonna take you back to school.”

“ _What?_ ”

“It's either I take you back to school, or I call one of the sisters to come down and get you, so. You make the choice.”

Angus sputtered. “Y-you can't _do that!_ ”

“Sure as shit can,” Magnus said. “Now eat up, or you're takin' it on the road.”

Angus scowled and angrily began shoving eggs into his mouth.

 

* * *

 

He sat with his arms folded over his chest as Magnus got into the truck. “Aw, come on, you're not gonna pout the whole way, are you?”

“Your wife said it was fair to take a day sometimes.”

“Yeah, I'm guessin' you've taken more than your fair share of days, Angus.” He started the truck and buckled in. “Look, I get it. School sucks and you hate it. I didn't like it much either.”

“I should be in _high school_ ,” Angus said. “My grandfather was teaching me. His best friend was teaching me _molecular biology._ We're learning about the layers of the _planet_ in this class. It's _humiliating._ ”

Magnus sighed. “I'm...I'm sorry. I'm sorry your life changed so much after your lost your grampa. I know how you feel.”

“No, _you don't_.”

“Well. Maybe not exactly.” Magnus pulled into the street and they drove in silence. “Listen, Angus...if you wanna come to the Duck sometimes, that's fine. But stay in school, alright? I'll even come get you sometimes, if it's okay with the Sisters.”

Angus sat up. “Really?”

“Sure. I'll stop by this week and say hello. You told Julia about Sister Mary Paul?” Angus nodded. “I think she used to live in Luskan when I was there. I'll see if she remembers me.” He smiled as they got closer to the school. “Alright, you know how to sneak back in?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Magnus put a hand on his shoulder. “Try to keep your chin up, Angus. Alright?”

He nodded. “Alright.”

“Great. Have a good rest of your day! Don't let me catch you at my breakfast counter on a school day again, you hear me?”

Angus grinned and opened the door. “No promises,” he said, and bolted.

 

* * *

 

It turned out Magnus did know Sister Mary Paul. She'd lived in the house the last year he'd been there. “If Mr. Burnsides wants to spend some time with you that's, fine,” she said. She looked at him over her glasses. “He didn't go into much detail about how you met.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Angus.”

“Mmhm?”

“Did you skip school again?”

“Um, no,” he said. “Not...recently.”

She sighed. “Angus, I know you're frustrated. I know this isn't what you're used to, I _know_ it's been a rough two years.” She leaned back in his chair. “But you _cannot_ skip school. You _must_ promise me that.”

He looked into his lap. “Okay,” he said quietly.

“Please, Angus.”

“I promise,” he said, and stood up from the chair. “Can I go?”

Sister Mary Paul sighed. “Yes, yes, she said, waving him along. “Go on.”

Angus turned and bolted again.

 

* * *

 

“So.” Julia leaned over the counter and set a plate of little sandwiches next to Angus's elbow. He'd been coming by the restaurant for a month or so now, and Julia always made him lunch whenever he did, asked him about his homework and made him tea. Angus...really liked that. “Show me what you're working on.”

He sighed. “I'm reading _Hamlet._ I read it already when I was living with my grampa, so this is easy.” He snapped the book shut. “I don't _want_ to read it, but I have to.” Julia sighed. “I don't need to be in this school, I should be somewhere else, but...the sisters can't afford it.”

“I see.”

“If they'd let me I'm sure one of my grandfather's colleagues could write a letter explaining things—”

“Angus, honey.” Julia picked up the book. “I'm sure when you get adopted things will change for you. You'll get to go to the better school, you'll get to live somewhere else. It'll be alright.”

“But what if it isn't? What...what if I just...stay there forever? And then I have to figure out how to do everything on my own?”

“That's not going to happen--”

“ _You don't know that!_ ”

She set the book down. “Don't yell at me, please.”

“Don't tell me what to do.” Angus grabbed his things and shoved them into his bag. “You're not my mom.” He turned to leave the restaurant, but he found himself running smack into Magnus. Laying on the ground, staring up at him, Angus wondered if this was what karma was supposed to feel like.

“Hey, Ango.”

“Um, hi.”

Magnus reached down and helped him up. “Come on,” he said. “Let's take a drive.” He set the bag on the bar.

“Magnus--”

“It's fine, Jules.”

“Honey, maybe we should just--”

“I said it's fine,” Magnus snapped. Julia flinched. Magnus closed his eyes. “I...we'll be back.”

“Fine.” Julia turned and walked sharply into the kitchen.

Angus swallowed. “Um, Magnus--”

“Come on.” He put a hand on his shoulder and they headed out of the restaurant.

 

* * *

 

“Are..you and Julia alright?”

“No,” Magnus said. He gripped the steering wheel. “We're not. She's unhappy right now and I can't fix it. Don't ever yell at her again, do you understand me?”

“I...yeah. I do.” Angus frowned. “Where are we going?”

“Just...don't talk right now, okay?”

Angus nodded, holding his bag closer to his chest. They drove for ten minutes or so, until they reached a neighborhood just outside the downtown. Magnus parked the truck and turned it off, leaning against the window.

“...Magnus?”

“This is where I used to live,” he said. “After I left Luskan I came here. This is where I was Magnus Burnsides for the first time.” He looked at Angus and gave him a smile. “My parents were really cool people, you know. My dad was an artist and my mom was a music teacher, but they were older. Never had any kids of their own. And then they...came to Luskan and met me. And that was that.” Magnus toyed with the hem of his shirt. “They died when I was eighteen.”

Angus looked at him sharply. “They did?” Magnus nodded. “...Oh. I'm...I'm sorry.”

“Hey, you know that's not a fun game to play.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“It's fine. I was about your age when I went home with them, and I got seven really _amazing_ years of being their son. I was really happy, you know? I guess if they'd never met me I wouldn't have had to lose them, and who knows, maybe their life would have been different, maybe they wouldn't have died.” Magnus shrugged. “I can't know that. I'll _never know_ that. But I know one thing.” He looked at Angus. “I got to know them for as long as I did, and everything that ever happened to me brought me right here. I met Julia, we bought the restaurant.” He reached over and put a hand on Angus's shoulder. “It even let me meet you.”

“...Fate.”

“Yeah. I guess so.” Magnus sighed. “Look, I didn't bring you here to make you sad or make you feel bad for me. I brought you here because...because I know you're having a hard time. You feel like no one's gonna want you and no one's gonna love you, but that's not true. You...you already have it. The Sisters, they love you. Your grandfather, your parents, those teachers you had, they _all_ loved you.”

“...And you?”

Magnus smiled. “Yeah, we love you, too.”

Angus nodded. “Okay. I wanna go back and apologize to Julia.” He looked at Magnus. “I think you need to, too.”

Magnus groaned. “Yeah, yeah, I know. We just...there's a lot happening right now. We don't do things the same way, and she's never been this unhappy before, I'm totally out of my depth--”

“You love her though, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well...well, you'll figure it out. That's how it goes when you love someone that much, right?”

Magnus shrugged. “Dunno. I guess I won't know til I try, huh?”

“That's right.”

He chuckled and started the truck back up. “You're too smart for your own good, you know that Ango?”

“Yeah.” Angus looked at Magnus and grinned. “I know.”

 

* * *

 

When they got back, Julia ran up to meet them, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Angus. “I'm so sorry, honey. I'm _so sorry_ , I shouldn't have said anything, it wasn't--”

“No.” Angus pulled back. “No _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, you were just...just looking after me.” He hugged her back, squeezing her tight before pulling away.

Julia stood and looked at Magnus. It was the longest moment Angus had been apart of in a long time, but Magnus finally reached out and took Julia's hand and said quietly, “We need to talk.”

She nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “We do.” She pulled him back through the kitchen and up the stairs to their place. Angus sighed as he watched them go, starting when someone put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me take you home,” Lucretia said gently. “If you'd like.”

Angus nodded. “Sure,” he said.

Lucretia was quiet on the ride to the house, which Angus sort of appreciated. Her car was immaculate and the classical station played softly in the background. It reminded him of Sister Mary Paul's office, in a way. Spotless, calm, and sort of...blue.

“Magnus says you and Davenport have to leave.”

She nodded. “We do.”

“But...you don't want to.”

“No,” Lucretia said. “I don't.”

“Is it because of you and Magnus?” She nodded. “He must be good family then.”

“He is,” she said. “But Davenport is family, too. And we'll...we'll always be here. We won't go far.”

“But you'll miss it.”

She glanced over as they slowed for a yellow light. “Yes,” she said. “I will.”

Angus looked out the window. “If I get adopted I hope I stay here.” He pressed his forehead against the cool glass. “I don't want to leave everyone behind.”

“You've gotten quite attached.”

“I like Magnus and Julia, a lot. And I like everyone else, too.” He looked over at her. “Taako's going to teach me how to make macarons.”

Lucretia smiled. “That's quite generous of him.” They pulled up to the house. “Well, I'll see you soon, I expect.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Angus grabbed his bag. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Sure thing, Angus.” She waved as he left, and Angus grinned, running up the hill to the house.

 

* * *

 

He'd been spending free time at the Duck for over a month when he had the idea that Magnus and Julia could adopt him. It wasn't like he hadn't considered it ten minutes after meeting either of them, or that he hadn't thought about it pretty much every day. It just...didn't seem real before. But now, for some reason...it did.

Ever since that day they'd driven to the old house, Magnus and Julia had been better. They'd talked upstairs for hours, and from what Taako and Lup told Angus later in conspiratorial whispers, it had been quite the doozy.

“Lots of fighting. Lots of crying. Hold the bag straight up and down, that's how you get the perfect circles, kid.” Taako adjusted Angus's grip on the bag of macaron mix. “Anyway, they're seeing a therapist and talking about babies.”

Angus squeezed the bag too hard and sent purple mix flooding over the pan.

“My dude--”

“Um, sorry, _sorry._ ”

Taako raised a brow. “It's...okay,” he said. He lifted the parchment paper off the pan and tossed it into the trash before laying down a new one. “We'll try again.” He adjusted Angus's angle. “They're not actually _having_ a baby, by the way.” He gave Angus a little nudge. “They talk about you, too, you know.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. Magnus really likes you. Jules, too. Me, I could take you or leave you, kid. But hey, if you're gonna be hangin' around might as well put you to work, right?” Taako winked. “Those look better, Ango. Nice work.”

“Thanks.” Angus felt warm and welcomed, and when Magnus took him back to the house that night, he hugged him just for a minute longer.

“Hey, I'll see you tomorrow, kiddo. You okay?”

“I'm great. I'm glad you and Julia are doing better.”

Magnus smiled. “Yeah, me, too.”

Angus took a deep breath. “Um, do you...I mean since you guys are...are doing okay now, do you think...like I know it's a long shot, but--” Angus looked at Magnus. “Do you think maybe you and Julia would think about...adopting me?”

Magnus opened his mouth, closed it. Opened it again. Like he was working through something.

“...Magnus?”

“...Look, Angus...me and Jules, we _are_ doing better, but, we still have a lot to work through. Okay? We're seeing someone, we're talking, we just...it's gonna take some time. We got like, six years worth of stuff to sort through.”

“But...but Taako said you were talking about babies. About _me._ ”

“We were! We talk about you and babies sometimes because...we want those things. We wanna have kids and...we want you, Angus. It's just...now's not really the best time. You hate bullshit, so I'm not gonna lie to you about this. We have a lot of work to do--”

“ _So?_ ”

“--and it's just not fair to...to bring you into that,” Magnus said quickly. “Please, bud, you...you have to understand.”

Angus felt his cheeks get hot. “I understand,” he said. “I understand that I'm too much for you, just like I'm too much for every other family that comes through here.”

“Angus, that's not true. It's not about you--”

“It's fine,” he said, grabbing his bag. “Just...forget I said anything. Thanks for the ride.”

“Angus! Angus, wait--”

“Goodnight, Magnus.” He got out of the truck and slammed the door.

 

* * *

 

_Angus –_

_Whenever you get this, it only means one thing, and I won't dramatize this situation further by telling you what it is. You're smart enough to know that. I'm sorry I can't stay with you. You have lost more in the last handful of years than most people lose in a lifetime, and that is supremely unfair. But, you are smarter than most, and ten times as capable as any grown man I've met, including myself. If anyone can get through these years on their own, it is you._

_I've arranged for you to stay with the Sisters of Istus in Neverwinter. They're good people, and they'll be the ones to find you a proper home. Someplace you can be a child, Angus. It could take days, it could take years, but, I know in due time you will find the people who will be your family. And they will love you as unconditionally as I did, and as your parents did._

_It will be hard before it is easy, my boy. It will hurt before it heals. I cannot protect you from suffering, and that will ultimately be my sole regret in this life. That I could not keep you safe from the pain of loss. Forgive me for that, Angus. Please. And always remember – it is a long life you have ahead of you. It does not do to dwell in the moments that caused you grief. Bear that in mind as you grow, and remember – you have always been, and will always be very much loved._

– _your grandfather_

 

* * *

 

In the morning, Angus dressed and gathered his things for school. He wanted to stay home, wanted to skip and read in his tree, but what was the point? Sister Mary Paul would know, and she'd taken to ratting him out to Magnus whenever she found out. Not that he'd care, apparently. His life was obviously difficult enough without dealing with a vagrant almost thirteen year old. Angus sighed and went downstairs, planning to head to Sister Mary Paul's office to ask her something – but there was a crowd gathered around the door.

“Sister Ruth--”

The woman turned, her face pale, eyes red from crying. “Oh, _Angus._ Angus, honey, go into the kitchen with the other children, please.”

“What's going on--”

“Angus, honey, _please._ Please go to the kitchen, I--” An EMT tapped her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. “Oh, no, of course not, we never...” She looked at Angus. “ _Please._ ”

“No,” he said. “Tell me what's happening.”

“Angus, sweetie--”

“ _Stop it_ ,” he said. “Where's Sister Mary Paul, I need to talk to her.”

Sister Ruth sighed, coming closer and kneeling to cup his face in her hands. “I'm so sorry, love. But...but Sister Mary Paul had a heart attack last night. She...didn't make it.”

Angus pulled back. “What?”

“She's gone, honey, I'm sorry – _Angus! Angus, wait!_ ”

But Angus couldn't wait. He was out the door and running down the hill, stumbling near the bottom and falling on his back onto the sidewalk. He stared up at the sky and breathed. He could hear Ruth and someone else running after him, so he got up and kept going. After a few blocks they seemed to lose him, but Angus just couldn't stop.

He ran, and he ran, and _he ran._

He ran to the train station, into the bathroom, and was sick in one of the toilets.

_No, no, no, no –_

Sister Mary Paul had been there since Angus had come to the house. She tried to find families she thought would be a good fit. She told Angus to be patient and have faith. She let Magnus pick him up from school, probably because she knew he and Angus would be perfect for one another.

Angus had wanted to tell her to please talk to them again, to please ask them to reconsider, because Angus _didn't want to be alone anymore._

But, now – he was.

He was alone, and sick in a train station bathroom.

He came out, wiping his mouth and washing his hands before digging into his bag for his money. Enough to buy a ticket to Waterdeep. That's where he'd lived with his grandfather. That's where their old house was, where the university was. He could find someone there to take him in, just for a while, before he moved on.

Enough of all this. He didn't need to go to school, he didn't need the Sisters or Istus.

He didn't need Magnus and Julia, or anyone at the Duck for that matter.

Angus could do this all by himself.

He went to the counter, bought a one-way ticket for Waterdeep, and got on the train.

 

* * *

 

They hadn't sold the house. It was technically university property, but in the two years since Angus had left, no one else had lived in it. Like some kind of weird, poetic justice, or something. He didn't know. He just knew he still had the key and the door still opened, so...he went.

It smelled different, dustier, but something like his grandfather's aftershave seemed to linger. Angus ran his fingers over the wallpaper in the upstairs hallway that led to his old room and smiled. He'd come here as a little boy, too, before his parents died. He'd ran down this hall and fallen, scraped his knee on the ancient carpet.

 _We must be careful,_ his grandfather had said. _But...never too careful, I suppose._

_Why not?_

_Why, to keep the adventure alive, Angus!_

The adventure did not feel alive. The adventure felt stagnant and doomed. Angus stepped into his old room. He'd never had much, and he'd taken most of it with him, but the bed spread will planets and planes of existence stitched into it was still there. A couple of his posters were tacked onto the walls still. Angus sat down in the middle of the room and looked around.

It didn't feel like home anymore, he realized.

Alone here, it was just...an old house. He didn't even feel attached anymore. Angus stood and dropped his bag onto the floor with a dull thud before going to his bed and laying down.

Maybe after a nap he'd feel better.

It'd been a terribly long day.

 

* * *

 

“ _Angus!_ ”

He groaned and rolled over.

“ _Angus!_ ”

“Trying to _sleep_ ,” he muttered.

But Magnus just kept shouting. “ _Angus!_ ”

Angus sat up.

_Magnus._

“ _Angus, honey_ \--”

And _Julia._

He grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs, through the sitting room, threw open the door –

Magnus was standing in the middle of the yard, his face pale and panicked, hands cupped around his mouth. “ _Angus!_ ”

“I'm here.”

Magnus turned to him, his arms falling to his sides. “ _Angus_ \--” He ran, and Angus wasn't prepared for how hard it hit him – the fact that he'd _missed_ this, just after a day. Magnus ran and grabbed him, scooped him up in one fell swoop, spinning him around and around before collapsing into the grass and holding him close. “God, _Angus_ \--”

Julia ran to them, falling to her knees in the grass and throwing her arms around them both. “Thank _god_ we found you.”

Someone was crying. Definitely Magnus, even Julia.

Angus realized he was, too.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm so sorry--”

“No, _we're_ sorry.” Magnus pulled back to look at him. “We're so sorry, I shouldn't have said any of what I said to you, it's not fair--”

“We heard what happened, Angus, we heard about the Sister--”

“I couldn't stay, it hurt, I couldn't stay--”

“I know,” Magnus said, holding him tight again. He began to gently rock back and forth. Angus felt so _small_. “I know, bud. Believe me.” He took a shaky breath. “ _I know._ ”

People told Angus they knew how he felt all the time, but...no one ever really meant it. Not the way Magnus did.

“Listen,” Magnus said. “We...we were stupid, okay? We do want you.”

Angus looked between them. “...Really?”

Julia nodded. “Yeah, baby. We do.”

“I can...I can go home with you?”

“We gotta take you back to the Sisters first,” Magnus said. He wiped his cheeks. “But, uh, after that. We'll get everything sorted.”

“Promise?”

Julia cupped his cheek and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. “Yeah, Angus. We promise.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Bye, Angus!_ ”

“Bye, everyone!”

Sister Ruth bent down to hug him. “Goodbye, Angus McDonald.”

“Goodbye, Sister Ruth.”

“May Istus always light the way for you, my love.”

Angus nodded, hitching his bag further onto his shoulder. A few of the smaller kids ran up to him again, clutching his legs.

“We'll miss you, Angus!”

“I'll miss you guys, too.” Behind him, Magnus stood in the doorway. He was cleaned up today, wearing a nice jacket and button-up shirt. Special occasion, he'd said. Not everyday you got yourself a kid.

“You ready, Ango?”

“Yes, sir.”

Magnus chuckled and put an arm around him. “Alright, bud. Let's go home.”

Everyone at the Duck was waiting for them when they came inside, rushing to meet them.

“Welcome home, Angus!”

“Hey, we got you some stuff, it's upstairs--”

“Macarons are in the kitchen, my dude--”

“We closed for dinner tonight, just to have the party--”

“ _Okay, okay!_ ” Magnus grabbed Angus and put him up on his shoulder. “One, we are still open for lunch. “Two, you're way too big for me to do this much longer, so everyone needs to _move._ ” Magnus set him back down as the place cleared. “Come on, Julia's upstairs. We've got a surprise for you.”

Angus grinned and ran ahead, taking the stairs three at a time and throwing open the door.

Julia was in the kitchen washing her hands at the sink. She turned as he came in and beamed. Angus ran and she held him close, pressing her lips to the top of his head. “Hey, you.” She breathed. “Welcome home.”

“Is it ready?” Magnus asked. Julia nodded. “Perfect. Alright, bud, close your eyes.”

“Seriously?”

“Don't sass me or I'm trading you in for a toddler.”

Angus grinned and covered his eyes, feeling Julia's hands on his shoulders. “Alright, alright. What is it?”

“This way,” she said. “I hope you like it, Angus. I really do.” They walked a dozen paces or so before stopping. “Alright. Open up.”

Angus opened his eyes.

“...Is this...my room?”

“Yep. Magnus said you probably didn't have one of your own with the sisters.”

“No, not since...”

“We went to the house,” Magnus said. “Got your old stuff. It's...it's okay, isn't it?”

His old bedspread was on the bed, the old circle rug that had once been on his floor. His old desk and his old posters – everything he'd left behind at the house in Waterdeep was _right here._

It was perfect.

He looked at them, and they were brilliantly illuminated by the sun streaming in through the living room windows. If Angus hadn't known better, he'd have mistaken them for angels, but he'd keep that revelation to himself.

“I love it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he said, and went to them both, wrapping his arms around them as best he could. “I really do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "live a river runs" by bleachers


	12. solidarity (multi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Duck celebrates one year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy crap this chapter is over 14,000 words long and i APOLOGIZE but my brain won't let me split it because 12 months is a YEAR and it WORKS. um please enjoy, i hope you all really like this. i think i'm gonna start wrapping this fic up, i've got some other chaptered ideas i want to work on and i'll feel guilty if i don't finish this. <3 
> 
> (look for a smutty coda in the other part of the series sometime this week or next)

_Since nothing has changed me quite like you_  
_No nothing has changed me quite like you_

 

* * *

 

_**monday -- magnus** _

“ _Seven months?_ ”

Magnus balked, grabbing Taako by the shoulder and yanking him into the walk-in. “Could you say it louder?”

“Sure. _Seven months?!_ ”

“ _Shh!_ ”

“You're telling me that you and your _wife_ haven't had sex in _seven months?_ ”

Magnus scowled. “It's seriously not that unusual. Our therapist says it _fine._ We're relearning one another as a couple.”

“Wow, how many times did you practice that in the mirror this morning?”

“I knew I shouldn't have said anything to you.”

Taako folded his arms over his chest. “It was a _bonding_ moment. We were _bonding_ Magnus. I was telling you about all the sex me and my boyfriend have been having, and _you_ confessed how terribly _unsexed_ you happen to be. I won't _tell_ anyone.”

Magnus stared.

“Alright, I'll probably tell Lup, but I guarantee it'll be during of a moment of weakness.”

“ _Why?_ ”

“Feeling sorry for you helps distract her from being _mad_ at _me._ ”

Magnus frowned. “Why would she be mad at you?”

“Because I'm moving in with Kravitz and I started packing before I told her which, _to be fair_ it was just a box of _boots_ and I was honestly packing them to give to her anyway so.” Taako bent down and picked up a box. “How old are these zucchini?”

“They just got here this morning. You're moving in with Kravtiz?”

“Mmm, yeah.”

“Taako. _Taako_ , that's really good.”

“Is it? As good as these?”

“Better,” Magnus said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously. That's really great.”

“Yeah, well you still haven't gotten laid in seven months – _do not touch me this apron is new_ \--”

 

* * *

 

With the restaurant reaching its one year, and trying to keep Angus in school and, on top of all that, actually talking about their problems – Magnus didn't have a lot of time to worry about all the times he wasn't having sex. He was just glad to still be married.

And honestly, considering how hard they'd been working, it was a wonder they managed to even eat dinner and change for bed, let alone _have sex._ No, they could worry about that later. Maybe in the summer, when Magnus wasn't hounding Angus's homeroom teacher about whether or not he stayed in class, or hashing over the anniversary menu for the six hundredth time.

After being thrown out of the kitchen by a grumpy Taako, he went to find Lucretia to argue about last minute edits on font size and typeface. She preferred serif. Magnus preferred sans serif. Julia preferred they take their squabble elsewhere.

“Before we do that.” Lucretia picked up the mock menu. “I need to talk to you about Angus.”

Magnus frowned. “Did he skip again? Did you catch him? Because I busted him on Tuesday--”

“He _skipped_ last Tuesday?” Julia asked. “Why didn't you _tell me?_ ”

“I took him right back.”

“ _Magnus_ \--”

“I didn't catch him skipping, but you should really talk to him about that. It could make this entire conversation pointless.” She tucked the menu under her arm. “I know you've been looking into the Science Academy. I know that's where Angus wants to go.”

Magnus nodded. “Yeah, we called and took a tour last week, we wanted to surprise him, but...”

“We can't afford it,” Julia explained. “And they're not offering scholarships. Believe me, we asked. A lot.”

“Well I...sort of explained what I knew to Maureen over the weekend and she called me today with some interesting news. Her father is on the admissions council. If Angus can pass the entrance exam and do well in his interview, they'll consider extending him a scholarship.”

Magnus straightened up. “He can do that. Angus can pass some...some _test_ , right?”

Julia nodded. “Of course! And...and he can get through some interview, he's charming, he's clever.”

“Right! Shouldn't be too hard--”

“He can't skip anymore school,” Lucretia said quickly. “He...he just can't. He needs to get through the rest of the spring semester without missing another day. I know he's having a hard time, but if this is something he wants—”

“He wants it,” Julia said quickly. “We'll talk to him. Lucretia, _thank you._ ”

“Well.” She looked at the floor and smiled. “You know. He's, um...he's sort of my nephew. I suppose.”

Magnus grinned and stood, reaching down to take her hand. “He's your family as much as ours, Lu. Thank you for thinking of us.” He kissed her forehead. “Also if you print my menus in Times New Roman, I'll egg your car.”

“I'm _not_ printing them in Arial size eleven.”

“I'll allow Georgia.”

She nodded. “Deal.”

 

* * *

 

Even with all the work they still needed to do for the anniversary party on Saturday, Julia felt like they needed to talk with Angus as soon as he got home, just to cement the whole thing. Magnus honestly hadn't seen her this excited in a while.

“He's going to _flip._ ”

“He's gonna do something,” Magnus said.

“Stop it, he's fine.”

“He's...he's not fine, Jules. He's less than fine.”

“Well I...I know that. I just...” She opened the fridge and stared into it. “Do you think I can do this?”

“Do what?”

She looked at him. “Be a _mother_ , Magnus. I mean, he skipped last week and you didn't tell me. You...you act like I don't see that he's upset about things. I mean, we can't play this game where you're the cool parent who gets him and I'm...I'm just Julia! The other person who lives with him, you know? That's not _fair_.”

“Jules--”

“No, okay? No. Dr. Bell said we have to say what we're feeling and you know I _suck_ at that so you're...you're gonna listen, alright?”

Magnus nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay. I just...I sometimes feel like you feel like you've got a special _in_ on Angus, just because you both went through a lot of the same stuff. And sometimes it feels like you're, like, _dad_ splaining things to me, like I'm a little kid in all this and I just don't get it. Because you know what? You don't get it either. Alright? You're not a dad. You've never had a kid. We're both _wildly_ out of our depth here, Mags. We have _no_ idea what we're doing. And I'm glad you can relate to him, but you gotta tell me stuff, okay? We have to be on the same level about some of this. Do you understand me?”

Magnus swallowed. “I, uh. Yeah. Yes. Yes, ma'am. I do.”

Julia nodded. “Good,” she said, looking into the fridge again. “ _Why_ is this _empty?_ ”

“Because we spend all day in a restaurant and cooking at home makes you want to cry.”

“That's right,” she said. “We need to get food in here. We have a twelve year old boy living in our house now.” She closed the fridge and came to sit next to him. “We have a _boy_ now, Magnus.”

“I know, it's crazy, isn't it?”

Julia laughed. “Yeah, it's...it's crazy. Not really how I pictured our first parenting experience.”

“Is this okay?”

Julia nodded. “It is. I'm glad this is where we are.” She looked at him. “I'm glad he's with us and...I know things have been hard the last year, but--” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I'm glad I'm with you, Magnus.”

He brushed the hair from her face “And _I'm_ glad I'm with you.” She smiled, kissed him again. Magnus let his hands fall to her waist, thumbs ghosting over the soft skin of her sides. Everything about her was so pliant under his hands, all warm curves and quiet sounds. She slid into his lap, rolling her hips against him gently. Magnus gave a little moan, caught her bottom lip between his teeth and chuckled.

“S'been a while.”

“I know,” she murmured. “I know, _I know_ \--” She moved to kiss his cheeks and nose, trailed her lips down toward his neck and ran her tongue over his pulse. “ _Magnus--_ ”

They almost didn't hear Angus running up the steps three at a time, shouting down into the kitchen at Taako and Lup. Julia flung herself onto the floor, opening the cabinet by the stove and starting to rummage through it. Magnus straightened his shirt, just as Angus turned the door knob.

He opened the door, surveyed the scene, and sighed.

“Why are you guys being weird?”

“We're not!” Magnus said brightly.

“Not being weird!” Julia called. “Found that colander though!”

“Oh good! I thought we'd lost it, be a real shame, I think it was a wedding gift from your Aunt Lisa.”

Julia stood up, brandishing the bowl and smiling. “Hey, Ango.”

“If you guys need me to go back downstairs I can go back downstairs. I was gonna help Taako make macarons for Saturday anyway.”

Julia sighed. “No, honey, we...actually need to talk.”

Angus set his bag down. “Um, okay. I didn't skip school today,” he said quickly.

“No, we know,” Magnus said. “Your homeroom teacher's on speed dial seven, in case you were wondering.”

“Just about _why_ we have a landline.”

“Not important,” Julia said quickly, and sat between them. “But it...is about school. Lucretia had a talk with Maureen this weekend. It...turns out that Dr. Miller's father is on the admissions council for the Science Academy.”

“ _Seriously?_ ”

“Seriously,” Magnus said, leaning forward. He hadn't seen Angus this excited in weeks. “And the _best_ part is all _you_ have to do is pass a test and do great in an interview!”

“I can do that! I can do both of those things!”

“You...also can't skip school,” Magnus added.

Angus's face fell. “...Oh.”

Julia sighed, reaching for his hand. “Angus--”

“You told me, when I met you, that it was okay for me to take a break sometimes.”

“And it is, you just...you have to go to school.”

“But _you said_ \--”

“Well, Angus, I wasn't your mom then, but I am now,” she snapped.

Everyone at the table sort of...froze.

It went without saying that they felt like a family, that was certain, but to say they felt like parents to one another was one thing. To say it to Angus, to the kid who hadn't called them anything but their first names since he'd met them – that was...something else.

“I just mean...I mean we're responsible for you now, Angus.”

“You're not an adult,” Magnus said. “Even though I know you...probably feel like one.”

Angus looked between them. “So I just...have to take this test and stay in school?”

Magnus nodded. “You do those things, they'll think about offering you a scholarship.”

“And that's really all I need to do?”

“That's all you need to do.”

Angus nodded. “...Okay.”

Julia perked up. “Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. I wanna go to this school. So I'll do what you say I have to do.”

“Oh, Angus, honey, that's so great.” Julia leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Angus smiled. “And you know, we were talking the other night--”

“When you're done for the summer,” Magnus said, “we thought that maybe--”

“There's tons of sport teams in the city, you know. We figured you'd probably never done one--”

“And we thought if you wanted, you could see if you could do one, if you were interested. I mean, there's other stuff--”

“Is there soccer?” Angus asked quickly.

They looked at one another. “Um, yeah,” Magnus said. “Yeah I think I saw a soccer league on the website.”

“I wanna play soccer. Can I play soccer?”

“Of course you can.” Julia took his hand. “You can do _whatever_ you want. You're...you're our _boy_ ,” she said. “You're our kid now. We want you to be one for as _long_ as you possibly can.”

 

* * *

 

Angus ran downstairs to thank Lucretia and see what he could do to thank Dr. Miller, too, but not before he hugged them both in turn.

Julia sighed, wiping her cheeks. “We should, um. We should probably get back down there.”

“Yeah.” Magnus glanced toward her. “You know that was the first time we've kissed like that in ages, Jules.”

“I know. _God_ , I know, Magnus. I just--” She leaned back in her chair, scrubbing her hands over her face. “It felt good. But the moment's...”

“It's over. I know.”

She looked at him. “I'm sorry, hon.”

“Hey, it's okay.” Magnus stood and leaned down to kiss her. “I love you,” he said. “And it doesn't matter if it takes a hundred years for us to figure this out. I will _always_ love you. And I...I will always _want_ you, do you understand?”

Julia smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek. “I do,” she said quietly

And Magnus believed it.

 

* * *

 

_**tuesday – barry** _

He suspected when Lup came over unannounced that there had to be something wrong. She liked to tell him before hand, or ask if he wanted coffee first, or maybe lunch. And he liked to get those little messages on his phone, he saved them because it was proof that Lup was sweeter than the sour she claimed to be, even though Barry was just fine with the full spectrum.

But when she showed up outside his apartment with no warning, he figured the situation was, at best, pretty dire.

For Lup, it turned out to be.

“So he's...moving out.”

“Well...well _yeah._ ” She slumped into a kitchen chair. “He was packing up shoes this morning. To be fair, he was _giving_ them to me, but still.” She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “Now I'm just... _bummed._ ”

Barry sat next to her. “You see a little bit more than bummed.”

“Well I'm _distraught_ , but I didn't want to be melodramatic about it. If Taako wants to move in with this amazing guy who's perfect and incredible for him then _fine._ It's his life and I'm happy for him.”

“Yeah you...you really sound it.”

Lup groaned, dropping her forehead onto the table. “I _am_ , Barry. Seriously. I just...” She made a noise, something sort of between a laugh and a sob. Barry reached and lifted her face. “I'm going to _miss him._ ”

“I know.”

“We've been together forever. I mean I told you, I always figured Taako would find someone to be with, I just...I figured I'd be ready for it. But I'm not.” She turned her cheek closer to his palm, and Barry stroked his thumb over her brow. “I'm not,” she said.

“C'mere.” He reached out and pulled her close, burying his face against her hair. “It's gonna be alright.”

“I know it will be.”

“And you'll see him _basically_ every day.”

“That's true.”

Barry cleared his throat. “And, um, you know. If you...if you don't like being alone you can always, you know. Come here? If you want?”

Lup laughed. “I know that, too.”

“Good.” He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “I'm sorry you feel lousy.”

“It's okay,” she murmured. “I'll feel better later.” And then...Lup looked at him, looked at him for a long time. She reached out and traced her fingers over his nose, smiling to herself. “You've got freckles, Barold.”

“Uh, yeah. I do.”

“How many?”

“Dunno,” he said. “Never counter them before.”

“Listen,” she said. “You and I...we've, um. We've been moving pretty slow for a while now. Do you...” She looked down, cheeks flushing. “Do you think we could maybe...move a little quicker? Just for a while? Because for some reason I just...I really wanna take you to bed and count every single freckle I can find.”

Barry swallowed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. If that's--” She made a soft noise as he cut her off with a kiss, reaching out to hold her face in his hands.

He _loved_ her. He hadn't said it yet, hadn't had the guts to, but _god_ he loved her. He had loved her for months and the bravery he'd had when they first kissed had left him, up until right now. She wanted him. She wanted _him_ to comfort _her_ , and Barry was desperate for it, had been for weeks.

Lup laughed against his mouth and said quietly, “Is that a yes?”

“It is an _enthusiastic_ yes,” he said.

“Good. Carry me to bed?”

“Oh,” he said, grinning and leaning down to lift her up. “It would be my _pleasure_.” He grinned and kissed her again. “Among other things.”

 

* * *

 

Somehow, and Barry wasn't quite sure in the course of the afternoon, they wound up at the foot of the bed. Lup stretched like a cat next to him and rolled over, running her hand through his hair. “So?”

“ _So._ ”

“Was that alright?”

“Um, _yes._ Yes, it was.”

“Good.” She tapped his nose. “You know, you're the first guy I've been with who just...knows what to do.”

“Yeah? I mean, I asked--”

“That's what I mean,” she said, kissing him. “You just...asked. You didn't get nervous. You didn't expect me to do all the work either,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“That happen a lot?”

“It can. I think it's this vibe I give off. Like I'm going to just take care of everything.”

“I'm glad you liked it,” Barry said. He kissed her shoulder. “I want to take care of you...if that's okay.”

She smiled, reaching out to cup his cheek. “Sure you can, babe.” She kissed him again.

“So you...you trust me?”

Lup laughed, tucking her head under his chin. “Yeah, Barry. I trust you.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Oh_ my god, are you serious?”

“I know,” Taako said, inspecting his nails. “It's a tragedy.”

Lup shook her head. “Nuh-uh,” she said, point. “This is just a story you're telling me so I won't be mad at you.”

Barry snorted. Taako scowled.

“Why are you _still_ mad?”

She sighed. “I'm not, I guess. But if you think you're taking _every single_ pair of boots in your closet to your fancy new apartment, you are _incorrect_.”

“I wasn't. The red ones are for you.”

“ _Barry_ ,” Lup said. “Did you hear this?”

“I heard.”

Lup grinned and kissed Taako's forehead. “Alright, not mad anymore. I'm actually really happy for you.” She sighed. “Alright, I gotta go try and get Julia to tell me why she's so undersexed. You two behave.” She turned and left the kitchen. Taako and Barry stood awkwardly together.

Taako cleared his throat. “Um, so you guys...you guys are good, right?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Yeah we're good.”

“You, like, love my sister, right?”

“I do.”

“Okay.” Taako nodded. “Okay good. Good talk, Barold. Just...let's keep it that way, alright?”

“I couldn't stop loving Lup if I tried.”

The door swung open. “ _You love me?_ ”

Taako and Barry both yelled, jumping back.

“ _You said_ \--”

“Yeah,” Lup snapped. “Yeah, but I stayed behind to, like, _eavesdrop_ on you two and you told my brother you loved me before you told me--”

“He _asked_ \--”

She marched over to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and hauled him in for a kiss. “Barry--”

“I love you,” he said. “I love you so much it's, like, pretty much killin' me.”

“Alright, alright.” She kissed him again. “You don't have to be so _dramatic_ about it.” Lup sighed, fixing his shirt. “For the record, I love you, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“So, um. So do you...I mean since Taako's...do you--” He swallowed. “Do you wanna move in with me, then?”

Lup blinked. “Huh?”

“Nevermind. _Nevermind_ , sorry it's too fast, I'm sorry--”

“Barold _Bluejeans_.” She held his chin between her fingers. “I _absolutely_ want to move in with you.”

“ _Copycat_ ,” Taako hissed.

“Trendsetter,” she said, grinning over her shoulder.

Taako nodded. “Alright, fair enough.”

Lup turned back to Barry. “You're serious then?”

“Yes. _Yes_ , I swear.”

Lup nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Okay then.”

Someone cleared their throat.

“You know,” Davenport said, “as precious as all of this is, we have dinner service in ten minutes.”

“Alright, _alright_ ,” Lup said. She kissed Barry's cheek one last time. “I love you,” she said.

“Convenient, since I feel the same way.”

She grinned. “Score.”

 

* * *

 

_**wednesday – merle & davenport** _

If he had to list his favorite things, one of them might be _this_ –

This being getting up early and finding Davenport on the porch, sitting in one of the chairs Magnus made, holding a cup of coffee in his hands. If Merle was quiet enough, he could stand in the doorway and watch, which was one of his other favorite things. When no one was looking, Davenport seemed softer.

Merle was learning that, lately, when he got caught looking, Davenport's expression didn't really seem to change.

That morning he stepped onto the porch and Davenport turned to look at him. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Merle leaned down to kiss him quick, but he wound up lingering a moment longer. When he pulled back, Davenport's brows were up. “No?”

“Um, yes,” he said. “No, no, that was definitely a _yes._ ”

Merle laughed. “Good to know.” He settled into the other chair and took a sip of his coffee. “Kids'll be here next weekend,” he said.

Davenport stiffened. “...Oh.”

“Yeah. You know, I was thinkin', maybe since you'll be leaving the Duck you'd, you know...want to watch them Saturday night.”

Davenport looked into his cup. “What about Hecuba?”

“Surprisingly enough, she's...okay with this.” Merle had talked to her the week before and she'd agreed to meet him for coffee for the first time in four years. Merle had to be honest, it was good to see her when they were both happy. It was easier to talk to her, easier to understand where the other was coming from. When he'd told her about Davenport she'd been calm, reasonable – all the things she'd honestly always been. Merle had just been too wound up in his own shit to see it.

“If he's working there with you, then he can't be so bad.” She'd sipped her tea, even offered him a rare smile. “Ever since you started there, things have gotten better for you. The kids seem happier, and honestly you...you surprised me with the house.”

“Surprised myself,” he'd said.

She'd hugged him goodbye, and added quietly, “Maybe we can...we can all do something together. What do you think?”

“I think that'd be great.”

He'd brought it up to Davenport. Davenport did not seem enthused.

A little like this right now.

“Come on, Dav.” Merle nudged him. “What's the big deal?”

“Nothing, it's nothing.” He stood and moved to the edge of the porch, setting his coffee on the ledge and looking out. Merle stayed quiet. “I just...I just, um.” He cleared his throat. “I mean don't you think it's just weird? You know? For your kids to hang out with just me?”

“No.”

“Well I do.” Davenport turned. “You know, I think it's weird. I think it's weird because _I_ never spend time with kids, I don't know what I'm doing, and frankly, you know, I think it's just moving a little too fast.”

Merle stood and raised is hands. “Okay, _okay._ You don't have to hang out with them yet.”

“ _Yet?_ ”

“Yeah, _yet._ Look, if you and me are gonna be a thing then you have to understand. I've got _kids_. I've got two great kids who told their mom they liked you.”

“They've met me _twice._ ”

“Well, you made a good impression.” Merle moved to put a hand on his shoulder, but Davenport pulled away. “ _Dav_ \--”

“I can't.”

Merle set down his mug. “You've been waitin' to tell me this, haven't you?”

“...Yes.”

“Why? Why _now_?”

“Because we're getting...we're getting serious and...and things are going to start changing. I just...I don't know if I...”

“If you what?”

Davenport gripped the railing. “I don't know if I thought this through, Merle. Alright?”

Merle felt a little winded. “...What does that mean?”

“It means that I just don't know if I'm ready to step into this role. If you and I stay together, then we...we become _parents._ ”

“Yeah, that's the idea when you've got kids.”

“ _But they're not my kids!_ ”

“Well you've made damn well sure of that!” Merle snapped.

Davenport shook his head. “I'm sorry,” he said, and moved to go inside. “I'm sorry. I've gotta go.”

Merle followed him. “Dav, wait--”

“No, I just...I have to think about this. I really do.” He put his shoes on and grabbed his keys. “I'm sorry,” he said again, and left.

 

* * *

 

Davenport went to Lucretia for some sympathy.

He...didn't get it.

“I _cannot_ believe that's what you told him,” she said. She had been folding silverware into napkins at one of the tables quietly, but now she was slamming forks and spoons onto the table hard enough to rattle the whole damn place. “ _How_ could you _say that?_ ”

“Maureen has a son! You don't feel weird about that?”

“No! He's an _adult._ And Lucas is a perfectly pleasant young man. Merle's children are _wonderful_ , why wouldn't you want to spend time with them?”

“You think I don't know that?” He sat across from her. “You think I don't realize they're great? I know they are. I just...I...” Davenport slumped. “I have no idea how to take care of kids. No idea what to say to them, what to do with them. If this is the person I want to be with, then I have to take everything into account.”

“He's not asking you to adopt them and take them off his hands,” Lucretia said. “He's asking you to spend time with them.”

Davenport shook his head. “You should have seen his face. He'd have taken it better if I _gut-punched_ him, Lu.”

She sighed. “I think you sort of did.”

Davenport groaned. “What am I gonna do?”

“You're going to apologize and fix this. You're happier with Merle than I've seen you in years. There's no point in throwing it away just because you're afraid.”

He opened his mouth to argue. _I'm not afraid_ would have been so _easy_ to say, but –

He was.

He was _terrified._ All over again.

“I really screwed this up didn't I?”

Lucretia sighed, reaching over to take one of his hands in hers. “No,” she said. “You didn't. There's still time to fix this. It's only one day.”

“You think so?” Lucretia nodded. “Alright. I'll...I'll go back over.”

“It's almost time for him to come in,” she said. “You two have a talk. I'll take care of things.”

“Lucretia--”

“You know you've been parenting for the last ten years, don't you?”

He sighed. “Have I?”

Lucretia smiled. “I lost my father when I was really young. I don't mean to make you feel old, I just...that's how I've always felt.”

Davenport nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I guess I've...had this all along, haven't I?”

She stood and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, lingering there for a moment. “I think you have.”

 

* * *

 

When Merle walked in, someone grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him into the uniform closet and shut the door.

“What the--”

Davenport kissed him. Merle's knees...wobbled.

Davenport pulled back. “I'm sorry,” he said. “About that. And also...this morning.”

Merle sighed. “I...I am, too. It really hasn't been long and I shouldn't expect you to take to the kids so fast--”

“It's not about the kids. It's...it's about me.” He took Merle's hands in his. “I told you, that first night, that I wanted this. I wanted to be with you. That I liked you because you were an amazing father.” He took a breath. “And right now I'm telling you that...I love you. I know it's...god it's not been very long I just...I _do_ want to be with you. And I understand that you...you're a package deal.”

“A little,” Merle said smiling.

“And if that's the case, then that's the case. So.” Davenport stepped closer. “I told you'd I'd say it a thousand times. I'll say this, too.” He tipped his forehead against Merle's and took a shaky breath. “I want every single part of you. All your flaws and all your quirks. The way you burn your coffee, just a little. Or the way you snore--”

“So do _you_ \--”

“I'm trying to be poignant here, Highchurch.”

“Alright, alright, keep goin'.”

“The way you always fold your aprons wrong, so there's this weird crease down the middle that drives me crazy--” Merle chuckled. “But also...the way you say good morning and the way you can just...talk to anyone. The way you tell Julia it's all going to be okay and the way you tell your kids that you love them. I love all of this. I...love _you_ , alright?”

Merle nodded. “Alright.”

“And I don't need a list of reasons you care about me, I don't even expect you to say this _back_ , it's hardly been--”

Merle cut him off with a kiss, and reached up to hold his face in his hands. When he pulled back, Davenport followed. Kissed him again.

“...Another yes?”

“ _...Yes._ ”

Merle held him close. “I love you,” he said. “For a heck of a lot of reasons. Mainly because you put up with me and you actually _have_ reasons to love me. And because you dragged me in here and kissed me and that's the kind of stuff I'm here for.” Merle kissed him again. “You gave me a chance. Not a lot of people would do that, but you--”

“You're worth it,” Davenport said.

“Yeah...yeah so are you.”

“ _Hey can you guys stop canoodling for five minutes, I'm gonna be late!_ ” Hurley shouted.

“Sorry, sorry!” Davenport grabbed her apron and opened the door. “Here.”

“Aw, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to interrupt your moment,” she said. “You guys are so cute.” She sighed and headed toward the kitchen.

“Well,” Merle said.

“Listen.” Davenport turned to him. “I...I want to spend time with your kids next weekend. But I also have something I need to tell you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, but...I can't until Saturday.”

“What, the anniversary?” Davenport nodded. “Well alright. I guess I can wait.”

“You can. It'll be worth it.” Davenport leaned in and kissed him one more time. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

_**thursday – hurley** _

Hurley woke up to the sounds of her shower runnimg. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to parse what was happening. _She_ was in bed, but her shower was on. Carefully, she backtracked, tried to figure out how she'd gotten here and, with a start, sat up in bed.

_Sloane._

Sloane was _in her shower_ , why was _Sloane_ in her shower –

Oh.

 _Oh_ , that's right.

Hurley grinned and sunk back down into her blankets, feeling a little smug. They'd gone on a date, they'd come back to Hurley's place –

Yep, good enough reason to feel pleased about the situation as a whole.

The shower shut off and Hurley listened as Sloane pulled a towel off the rack and dried off before padding back out into the bedroom. Hurley peeked over the edge of the blankets, hiding her grin.

Sloane stopped just short of the bed, tipped her head to the side and said, “You're really pleased with yourself, aren't you?”

Hurley shrugged. “Maybe.”

Sloane laughed and looked down. “Um, should we...I mean, I can get going if you--”

“ _No_.” Hurley sat up quickly and the blanket slid down her chest. She grabbed it quickly to cover herself as Sloane smirked. “What, _you're_ in a towel.”

“I am.”

“Yeah, and it could, like, fall down any minute.”

“You're right,” Sloane said. “It totally could.”

And she dropped the towel and dove back under the blankets. Hurley had never been so happy in all her life.

 

* * *

 

Well, she had been, once.

Once, she'd been inches away from _glory_ , but that was different, and it was also, like, twenty years ago. When she was a little girl, and she stood on the side of the racetrack and watched her uncle round the bend, ready to take first place, ready to _win_ the Faerun 500. And Hurley had been so right there, she could smell the rubber on the racetrack, and every time she got close her mother pulled her back, but she moved closer and closer –

Her uncle won that day, and he let Hurley sit on his shoulder and hold the trophy even though it was basically the same size as she was.

It was _glory_ , and she was _happy._

And then they had to move, and she saw her uncle less and less and when he retired from racing and Hurley wanted to train and take his car – her mother had a _conniption._ So she didn't. She didn't do the thing she'd wanted to do for so long. She got further and further away from glory.

But with Sloane, it just...seemed a little closer. When Sloane listened to her talk about the way she felt about the racetrack, about the car and the trophy and the smell of rubber – Sloane seemed to understand.

And that night when they went to Hurley's apartment, when they fell into bed and when Hurley felt in _love_ – it was a lot like standing by the track, feeling so close to the edge of the world as the wind kicked back as every car whipped around the curve.

Hurley could close her eyes, and she felt _free._

 

* * *

 

“So we've hit our max number of reservations for Saturday's anniversary dinner.” Davenport waved a list in front of them. “It is _incredibly_ important that we are all at our best this weekend because, and I don't know if you've heard, but Artemis Sterling _will_ be in attendance.”

Hurley heard herself _squawk._ “What?!”

“ _Holy shit_ ,” Taako said. “Are you joking?”

“Not even a little.”

Avi leaned forward at the table, putting his face in his hands. “Oh my god, oh my god, we're gonna fuck it up.”

“No we're not,” Davenport said. “Now, this is _surprise_ , alright? Magnus and Julia don't know.”

“Um, you probably shouldn't spring _powerful, wealthy, leadership_ guest on them Saturday morning,” Lup said. “Look, this adds, like, a shit ton of pressure onto everyone, but if we fuck this up it's gonna make Magnus and Julia look bad, not us.”

“That's why we won't fuck this up,” Davenport said. “And don't make me say that word anymore.”

Sloane raised her hand. “Are we accommodating him in any special way?”

“Well we won't be charging him, that's the extent of it. He's insisted on sitting with everyone else, he'll have a small entourage with him, but that's it. You are to treat him like any other customer, but also treat him like he is the duke of Neverwinter.”

“So no pressure,” Barry muttered.

“Precisely!” Davenport beamed. “No pressure.”

“Who's serving him?” Merle asked.

“Ah, well--”

“Oh boy,” Taako said. “Tread lightly, Davenport. _Tread lightly._ ”

Davenport rolled his eyes. “Julia will be serving him.”

“She doesn't _know_ \--”

“Know what?” They all turned to see Julia standing by the bar, truck keys in hand as she headed out to get Angus from school. “What's happening?”

Hurley jumped up. “Artemis Sterling is coming to dinner.”

Julia stared, her expression unreadable. Hurley wondered if she'd made a mistake. “Oh no. _No, no, no, no, no_ \--”

“Isn't it great?” Lup asked. She looked at them. “Someone please tell her it's great.”

“No, no, no, no--” Julia covered her face with her hands. “You guys, please tell me that's a joke.”

Davenport cleared his throat. “Um, it's not.”

“Tell me you didn't _invite_ him--”

“I...did.”

She dropped her hands. “Why did you do this to me? Why did you do this? Have you told Magnus? Have you _told_ Lucretia?”

“Um, no, Lucretia's been out today--”

“ _No one_ tell them. _No. One._ I am going to go get Angus from school, and _you_ are going to make this _go away._ ”

“Why?”

“Because! Because, we cannot have him here, they cannot be in the room together--”

Davenport held up his hands. “Julia, I think you're overreacting just a little--”

“ _I am going to get my son from school._ Take care of this,” she snapped, and left.

 

* * *

 

Hurley scrambled and vaulted over the hostess stand and grabbed the phone. “Davenport called Lucretia,” she whispered, covering the receiver.

“What about everyone else?”

“They're listening in the office.”

Sloane nodded and they huddled close to the phone.

“ _\--realize it would be a problem._ ”

“ _It's not a problem._ ”

“ _Lucretia, Julia had an aneurysm in the dining room._ ”

Lucretia sighed. “ _Yeah, alright, it's a problem._ ”

“ _Why?_ ”

“ _Artemis and I went to school together. Which...means Artemis and Magnus went to school together._ ”

“ _That was ages ago, what happened?_ ”

“ _It's...it's just a story about kids being kids._ ”

“ _Julia was really upset_ \--”

The door swung open and Hurley hung up the phone.

Sloane sighed. “So it's just like, school stuff?” she asked, grabbing a few menus.

“Dunno.” Hurley leaned back and glanced over at her. “I guess we'll sort it out later.”

“Yeah.” Sloane smiled at the guests. “Let me show you to your table.”

They followed her and Hurley sighed as she left.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, we looked it up. Apparently Lord Artemis Sterling of Neverwinter attended the Faerun Prepatory Academy of Arts and Sciences. Luskan campus,” Avi added. “That's a fancy ass school.”

Taako snorted. “ _Magnus_ went to it?”

“I mean I guess.” Avi scrolled down. “Oh, he was also voted most eligible bachelor three years in a row.”

“Oh that's right!” Merle said. “What a good lookin' guy.”

“He's not _that_ great looking,” Davenport muttered.

“Someone's _jealous_ ,” Lup teased. “Hey, look, there's a picture of his graduating class. I see Lucretia. No Magnus, though.”

Avi scrolled down. “He left before, I think.”

Taako gave him a shove. “You're hogging the computer.”

“ _You_ said you didn't want to pry--”

“ _You_ said it would take two minutes--”

Hurley clambered over the desk and looked at the screen. “He's not cute.”

“You're a lesbian,” Taako said.

Hurley shrugged. “I can be objective about this.”

“Objective about _what?_ ”

They all turned to the door where Julia and Angus stood, looking rather intimidating, both their arms folded over their chests.

Angus looked between them. “I'm hungry, can I be angry with you later?”

“Sure honey, there's a snack in the fridge.”

Angus grinned and waved. “Good luck!”

Taako pointed. “Can I, uh, have a snack with Angus?”

“Yeah.” Merle tugged on his collar. “Me, too?”

Julia pointed. “You're prying. I asked you to call Sterling and tell him no, and _instead_ you did this. Saturday is _so_ important, I can't have anything upsetting Magnus--”

“What am I getting upset about?” Magnus knocked on the door of the office, leaning casually against the frame. “What's up?”

“Nothing,” Julia said quickly. She went to him and pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Everything's totally okay.”

Magnus raised a brow, smiling down at her before shrugging. “Okay. Hey, Avi, we gotta unload the truck out back.”

Avi stood. “Yeah, uh, coming.”

Julia watched them go and sighed. “Well. _This_ is a mess.”

 

* * *

 

Hurley was at the register making change when Magnus came to stand next to her. Well, _towered_ was more appropriate, but Hurley never minded. She looked up at him and smiled. “Hey, Mags.”

“Hey, Hurley.” He leaned on the counter. “So what's goin' on, huh?”

“Not much. Gettin' stiffed on tips because I'm an A-cup.”

“Sorry I asked.” He rested his chin in his hand. “So are you going to tell me what Julia's all upset about?”

Hurley sighed. “I...maybe, yeah.”

He got down lower at her eye level. “ _Please._ ”

She sighed, setting down the bills. “ _Alright._ But you can't tell anyone I told you.”

“ _Promise._ ”

Hurley looked at him. “Artemis Sterling is coming to dinner on Saturday.”

Magnus straightened quickly. “Oh.”

“Um, yeah, we sort of figured out that you guys went to school together. _And_ we listened over the phone when Davenport called Lucretia to check about things. Anyway, we don't know everything, but we figured out that you...probably don't like him?”

Magnus sighed. “Nope. I don't. But, uh, it's okay if he's here. It's...it's really okay.”

Hurley raised a brow. “Is it?”

“It totally is.”

“So...since I told you, then you can tell me _why_ , right?”

Magnus laughed. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, when we went to school together, Artemis was kind a rich jerk. You know, he lived with relatives in this fancy house and was learning to politic or whatever. And I lived with six other boys in a foster home and stood about two feet taller than everyone most of the time I was there, so. He was the most popular guy in school, I was kind of a freak. He was the _richest_ guy in school, I wore second-hand uniforms. Lucretia hemmed my pants for me.”

“That was nice of her.”

“Right? Anyway, he just, um. He was never really nice to me.” Magnus shrugged. “I did the one thing every kid hates doing in school.”

“What's that?”

“I attracted attention.”

Hurley nodded. “Yeah, I...I understand that.”

Magnus sighed. “Anyway, it's...something I was mad about last year, but I'm not mad anymore. You know? Everything's going great, I've got this really awesome life, I've got a _kid_. If Artemis wants to come to dinner, hell, I'll serve him myself.”

“ _Hurley!_ ” Davenport stepped between them. “You told him?”

“He _asked!_ ”

“ _And_ I am totally okay with it,” Magnus said quickly. “Really.”

Julia went to him, taking his hand. “Are you sure?”

“Babe. We were kids.”

“Last year you told me you would spit in his food if you had the chance.”

“Okay, okay. I'll admit it, last year I totally would have. But Magnus _this_ year doesn't want to do that.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Because Magnus _this_ year has the most beautiful wife, the smartest kid, the most successful restaurant in Neverwinter, and--” He looked around. Everyone had begun to gather by the bar. “The greatest family a guy could choose. I'm not the lonely kid Artemis Sterling made fun of anymore. That kid got everything he wanted.” He kissed Julia again. “And now...I'm happy. So if Artemis--”

“ _Please tell me you canceled!_ ” Lucretia nearly crashed into the bar as she ran to them, gripping a stool and catching her breath. “Please tell me you asked Artemis not to come.”

“Um--”

“Lucretia, it's _fine._ ”

“Magnus, it's not. This is the man you punched no less than _thirteen times._ ”

“ _Magnus!_ ” Julia stepped back. “You _hit him?_ ”

“Hey, he said some really awful things to me!”

Lucretia nodded. “It's true, he did. But _still_ , Magnus. You can't do this. It's not worth it just to get a chance to spit in his food, or rub it in his face.”

“Lucretia, he's the duke of Neverwinter. I literally don't have a single thing to rub in his face.”

She considered this. “Yes, alright, that's fair.”

“And...besides. We were kids, and now we're adults. We've outgrown all that other stuff.”

“Are you sure?”

“Postive,” Magnus said, and reached over the bar to hug her.

 

* * *

 

That night, Sloane stood outside the restaurant by Hurley car and smiled. “Can you give me a ride home?”

“Sure.”

“But I want you to, um...to go with me. Is that okay?”

Hurley nodded. “Yeah, it's fine.”

“And I was thinking...you know maybe we can do one of those race things soon. I mean, you said it's been years since you went to one. Maybe you and I could--”

“ _I'd love that_ \--” Hurley said, and pulled Sloane down for a kiss.

Sloane sighed. “Well if I knew that was all it took--”

“That's not what it takes,” Hurley said. “I don't...I don't need reasons to kiss you. I really like you, so kissing you's just...the easiest thing. It's the easiest thing I've ever done. Making the decision to be with you was...it was the _best_ thing I've done in a while, too.”

Sloane grinned. “Really?”

“Really.”

She laughed. “Okay. Take me home then. I, uh, wanted to show you _my_ shower.”

“Oh really?”

“Uh- _huh_.”

Hurley smiled and opened the door for her.

For the second time in one day, she had a pretty good reason to feel so smug.

 

* * *

 

_**friday – lucretia** _

For the fifth time that week, Lucretia was leaving her mother in a state.

It didn't make her feel _good_ to do it – in fact, it really turned her day into an all-around shitshow, if she was honest, but Saturday was their big one-year dinner, and there was more work to do than Lucretia honestly had time for, even with all hands on deck.

“Mom.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed like her therapist said she should. “I will be back soon.”

“You _won't._ ”

“Yes, I will. Just a few hours, just let me go into the restaurant--”

“ _What_ restaurant?”

“The one I work in.”

Her mother huffed, folded her arms over her chest. Lucretia looked at their new nurse, Wendy, and tried to seem apologetic. Wendy only shrugged.

“It's not the worst I've seen. Come on, dear, let's get you some dinner and a bath.”

“I _won't_.”

“Lucretia, go.”

“But she--”

Wendy held up a hand. “She's going to be fine. We'll get her some food and a nice warm bath and she'll be right as rain.”

Lucretia pressed her lips together. She was this close to calling Magnus, telling him she couldn't make it, but –

“ _Go_ ,” Wendy said.

So. Lucretia went.

 

* * *

 

Maureen tried to tell her not to feel guilty. Over lunch the day before, she'd made a convincing enough argument, even if it didn't really make Lucretia feel any better.

“Your life can't come to a screeching halt.”

“But she _needs_ me--”

“And she has you. You were seeing her every weekend. You made a huge sacrifice for her, made an enormous space in your life for her to exist in. Lucretia--” Maureen reached over and took her hand. “You are taking care of your mother.”

“It just...doesn't always feel that way.”

Maureen nodded. “I...I know. Look, when Lucas was younger, and I was in residency and his dad was just _gone_ , it was the same. I had to leave him with a dozen baby sitters. I didn't have any family in the city. Once he missed the bus and I had to run out and get him and take him to school, I felt _terrible._ But you know, he turned out alright. And even though there were days where I thought, for sure, someone's going to call CPS on me, I'm going to _ruin_ this kid – we did okay. And I learned that, honestly, I didn't do such a bad job. I wouldn't give myself mother of the year or anything, but--” She sighed. “Lucretia. _You_ are a wonderful daughter. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.”

Shutting the door on her mother yelling at her new nurse, Lucretia certainly didn't _feel_ like a wonderful daughter.

The minute Magnus saw her, he knew something was off. He went to her right away, put a hand on either shoulder and said firmly, “It's okay.”

“She was shouting, Magnus, she was so upset--”

“It's _okay._ ” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Look, if you want you can go home--”

“I don't want to. I need...I need the distraction, I need to be busy.”

“I can help with that,” Davenport said, hefting the box of anniversary menus onto the counter. “You wanna make sure these are okay? We can get them reprinted overnight if there's a mistake.”

“Sure.” Lucretia set down her bag and Magnus took it to hang in the office. “Is everyone here? I want to have a meeting before dinner.”

“Uh, yeah.” Davenport gave her a look. “Everything okay?”

“I think we should tell them,” she said quietly.

“Everyone?” Lucretia nodded. “I don't know...maybe tomorrow would be better.”

“We should tell Magnus and Julia, at least.”

“...Yeah. Yeah, maybe.”

Lucretia sighed. “Davenport, _what_ is it _this_ time? The property's been bought, your business plan is submitted. I'm assuming you've told Merle--”

“I haven't.”

Lucretia froze. “What?”

“I _haven't_ told Merle.” He glanced at her. “Did you...tell Maureen?”

“No, I...I didn't.”

“Well then I think everyone else can wait until tomorrow, too.”

She sighed. “I suppose you're right.”

“Come on, it's gonna be a really great surprise. And you know what?” Davenport nudged her. “I'm not afraid.”

“You're not?”

“Nope. Not anymore than I think is normal, at least.”

Lucretia laughed. “Yes, it's...it's a little nerve wracking I suppose.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I am incredibly proud of you, you know this. Don't you?”

Davenport nodded. “I do.”

“Good. I'll look these over.” She hefted the box in her arms. “And we'll tell everyone tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

It was a terribly hard secret to keep, but Lucretia thought it was worth it.

Three weeks ago, Magnus had asked her if she wanted to stay.

“Please,” he said. “I _just_ got you back in my life and I don't want you to get any further away.”

“I won't be--”

“But you could leave. You could leave the city and we could lose touch and--”

“We're _family_ , Magnus.”

“The only family I've ever had that's stuck by me is Julia,” he said. “The rest left me. Or...or I left them.”

“I told you, we were kids--”

“I broke your heart. And you remember it, don't you?”

“...Magnus--”

“Tell me you don't remember it, then. Tell me you can't remember the _exact_ minute your heart broke because if you can, then fine. I'll let you go without argument. But I'm betting you know it.”

Lucretia sighed.

She did.

It was as she turned the corner and her house was in sight. She knew her mother would be inside, getting ready to go to work. And she knew school was waiting just across town, that Magnus's lonely desk would be empty until someone came to fill it. And it was right then, imagining the lunches she would eat alone, and the moments she would spend wishing he was still sitting beside her – it was then that her heart broke. Not clean, not quick.

It was ugly and slow and even then, sitting across from him, Lucretia could feel the scar it all left behind.

(she wondered about his, what the scars on his heart were like--)

“See? You know.”

Lucretia sighed. “I'm sorry Magnus. I...I can't stay. Davenport needs me.”

Magnus nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

“I won't let us grow apart again. I promise.” She reached forward and cupped his cheek. “So long as you promise, too.”

He nodded. “I promise.”

It had been three weeks since then, and Lucretia knew she'd been the one to break his heart, just a little, that day.

And then Davenport called late one night, and he told her that he'd done it.

“ _I-I-I must have had some kind of_ fit _, Lucretia. I swear. I just...I did it. I signed the papers this afternoon._ ”

“Dav, to _what_?”

“To the property. Next to the Duck.”

She sat up on the couch. “ _What?_ ”

“ _You okay?_ ”

“Yes, yes I'm fine.”

“ _I don't want to tell anyone yet. I just...this stays between us._ ”

“Okay. Between us.” She settled back into the couch. “I can't believe it.”

“ _I...can't either._ ”

“You did it.”

“ _Yeah. And it's...because of you, Lu._ ”

“No--”

“ _Yeah it is. You've just...you've been bold lately. I don't know, it's made me see things differently. I don't know what we'll do about the business--_ ”

“We'll figure it out.”

“ _You sure?_ ”

“Yes, absolutely.”

Davenport laughed. “ _Okay. I'll...I'll let you go. I'll see you tomorrow._ ”

After they hung up, Lucretia stared at the ceiling and considered her options. She could continue their business on her own, or bring in a new partner, at least.

Or –

God, Magnus had the strangest timing. She went to bed thinking about what he'd told her. How he wanted her to stay with him, to stay at the Duck and be _family_.

Lucretia didn't know what she'd do. Davenport could take care of the bar on his own, he'd always wanted it. But now, for the first time in a while, she had choices to make that were just...her own. No one else could help her decide.

This, finally, was just for her.

 

* * *

 

“Menu's are good. Table setting is approved. Avi, where are we on music?”

“Johann's got it taken care of.” Avi glanced at his phone. “Two violinists and cellist from the school are gonna be here.”

“Sounds perfect.” Lucretia made another check on her to-do list. “How are you two, by the way?”

“Perfect and amazing,” Avi said smugly.

“Glad to hear it.” Lucretia glanced at her list again. “I think...that's everything.”

Avi leaned over. “Wow, it really is.” He looked up at her. “Think we can pull this off?”

Lucretia nodded. “I think so.”

“Even with all that Artemis Sterling stuff?”

“... _Shit._ ”

Avi sighed. “One more thing?”

“Yes.” Lucretia grabbed her keys. “One more thing.”

 

* * *

 

“Listen, ma'am, the Duke just doesn't _do_ drop-ins.”

“I'm a friend from school.”

“Right, and I'm his first cousin.”

Lucretia sighed. “I called earlier this week and I was told if I gave someone my name they'd make room for me before Saturday.”

The guard shrugged. “Sorry. No can--”

“Lucretia?” The voice was devastatingly familiar. She'd grown up listening to that voice. She'd spent months in school with that voice. She'd told Magnus a thousand times to _ignore_ that voice.

“Sir, this woman--”

“This woman and I went to school together,” Artemis said coolly. “And I always have time for old friends.”

Lucretia turned. “Are we friends now, Artemis?”

“Well we have to be something.” He extended his arm and Lucretia took it. “Howard, please let me know the next time Lucretia or another schoolmate drops by. I like to keep up.”

“Um, yes, sir.”

Artemis sighed and led her toward his office. “I heard a commotion. Imagine my _excitement_ when it turns out to be you. Please, have a seat.” He settled into the chair on the other side of the desk. “Did you want a drink?”

“No. I'm...we'll keep this brief.”

“Alright.” He leaned forward. “It's really good to see you, Lu. I thought it'd have to wait until tomorrow, but this is nice.”

“It's certainly something.”

He smiled. “You look amazing, Lucretia. Really.”

“I'm a lesbian, Artemis. You don't need to flatter me.”

He raised a brow. “Didn't know. Alright. Still,” he said. “You look lovely. How's Magnus?”

“He's fine. He's the reason I'm here, actually.”

Artemis nodded. “I thought we might be discussing this. It's hard to believe we're all still hung up on things that happened when we were children.”

“Have you forgotten it?”

“...No,” he admitted. “I've...well I never did, honestly. It's been something I've regretted for a long time, but I was never quite sure whether I should...should _tell him_ that. And when I got around to it, I learned that the people who adopted him passed away, that he'd left Neverwinter.” Artemis shook his head. “It seemed like a bad time to apologize for giving him hell.”

“Well he's wonderfully happy.”

“Good. I'm glad to hear that. Tomorrow I'll pay my dues.”

“That's...that's the only reason I came, Artemis. I had to know if you...if this was—”

“When I got the invitation I almost said no,” he admitted. “But when I saw who owned the place I knew I had to make an appearance. Or at the very least...apologize. I think I owe him that.” Artemis shook his head. “I can hardly remember what I said--”

“Liar.” Lucretia felt her cheeks go hot. “You were _foul_. You were needlessly cruel. You were--”

“A child,” Artemis said. “I won't forgive or excuse my behavior, but I did things I shouldn't have and now I know better. I...I _regret_ what I said. I earned every swing that came my way.”

Lucretia felt smug. “He did get you a few times, didn't he.”

“Yes. And I...I suppose he might owe me one more. For the disservice I did to you.”

“I am not hung up on your teenage infidelities, Sterling. Being your date to that last dance was a rather welcome wake-up call.”

“Dear god, don't tell me I'm the man who made you realize--”

“No,” she said. “You don't deserve _that_ particular honor. Besides,” she added. “It _wasn't_ a man.”

Artemis stared. Blinked. “Ah. I, uh. I see.”

“Well, I'm glad we've cleared all this up. We'll expect you tomorrow. Magnus...is looking forward to it.”

“You don't have to _lie_ , Lucretia.”

“Oh no.” She stood and smiled. “He's as excited as you are to bury the hatchet, it would seem.” Lucretia sighed. “You know, you look rather lovely yourself, Artemis Sterling.”

“Don't I?” He grinned and stood. “I think it's because I let go of some things. Decided it wasn't worth it to be a stuck up little prick anymore.” He extended his arm once more, and Lucretia took it. “Perhaps once we've settled all this, the three of us...can be friends. I'd certainly like to have acquaintances outside of my advisers.”

“Yes, I'm sure your life is _ever_ so dull.”

“Hardly. But _stuffy_ , is more what I'd call it.” He walked her to the elevator. “It lacks color, Lucretia. And you and Magnus...when I remember the two of you, I remember people who were very happy. I've tried to be, over the years. I think only recently have I really found it. And if you'd have me...well. I'll give Magnus one free swing, sound fair?”

“Not to you,” Lucretia said, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for seeing me, Artemis.”

“Thank _you_ for stopping by.”

“Of course.” She smiled. “And you're always welcome, Artemis, so long as your intentions are good.”

“My dear Lucretia. I intend for them to be nothing _but._ ”

 

* * *

 

Her mother was asleep when she finally got home, and to her surprise, Maureen was in the kitchen.

“What...what are you doing--”

“I relieved your nurse. I thought you and I might have dinner together. I've hardly seen you this week.” Maureen took her purse and hung it up, pressing a quick kiss to Lucretia's cheek. “I've made a salad and there's lasagna in the oven. Shouldn't be more than ten minutes.”

Lucretia felt...a little stricken, but in the best way. She lowered herself into her chair and let Maureen press a glass of wine into her hand. “How was today?”

“Fine, fine. _Busy_ ,” she added. “And productive.” She took a long drink. “I saw Artemis today.”

Maureen raised a brow. “And?”

“ _And_ I let him down easy.”

“Lucky girl.” Maureen leaned against the counter. “Is everything set for tomorrow then?”

“It is. You and Lucas have reservations at eight. Hurley will be taking care of you.”

“Wonderful. And is tomorrow when you'll finally tell me the secret you've been keeping.”

Lucretia balked. “ _How_ \--”

“Oh, come on. You've been a wreck about something. I just didn't push because I knew it couldn't be too bad. I hope you'd have told me if it were.”

“I would have.”

“Then it must be a good one.”

Lucretia smiled. “It is.”

Maureen turned and opened the oven door, pulling the lasagna out with a dishtowel and setting it on the stove. “Right. We'll let that cool. Your mother wanted me to tell you she loves you, by the way. Whenever you got in.”

Lucretia nodded. “I'm glad she felt better.”

“And I'm glad you were able to go.” Maureen sat next to her and took her hand. “You don't need to punish yourself, Lucretia.”

Lucretia looked down. “I'm understanding that better.”

“Good.” Maureen leaned forward and kissed her. “I'm glad. Now let's eat, I'm starving.”

 

* * *

 

That night, Magnus called. Lucretia took the phone onto the balcony. “You okay?”

“ _I'm great, Lu. Really._ ”

“You sound a little drunk.”

“ _Yeah. Yeah, I might be._ ” He laughed. “ _Hey, do you...remember that time when we were like, nine? And...and you came to the house and Sister Grace made angel food cake, and you asked her if there were real angels in it?_ ”

Lucretia laughed. “Yeah, I do.”

“ _I was just remembering that the other day._ ” He shifted the phone. “ _I just remember being really happy when I was with you, but...but I remember thinking about us when we were first apart and...and that was okay. It hurt, but it was okay._ ” Magnus sniffed. “ _Listen, I'm sorry about what I said a few weeks ago. I was...I was out of line. Wherever you want to go, you go, Lu. Okay?_ ”

“Okay, Magnus.”

“ _I'm serious. You go, and...and I'll make sure we don't lose each other. We're adults, you know? Like we can_ do _this._ ”

“We can.”

“ _Alright. I just wanted to say that. I love you._ ”

Lucretia, and looked out across the city lights. She felt it, really _felt_ what he was feeling, and if she looked in the right spot, she knew she could see the Duck, and she knew Magnus was sitting at the bar downstairs, the phone pressed tight against his cheek, and he said exactly what he felt, exactly when he felt it. Just like always. Just like she'd been too afraid to do.

But –

Not anymore.

Lucretia smiled, and said quietly, “I love you, too, Magnus.”

And she felt herself finally be free.

 

* * *

 

_**saturday – julia** _

It was four AM, and Julia was taking stock.

It was easy to do, laying in bed with someone like Magnus, someone who was a living, breathing reminder that her life had changed in drastic, poignant ways, and it was all because of the little things.

(a bus breaking down, a grandfather's terrible passing, a girl's kindness, a young man and his piano--)

Julia pressed herself closer, and felt Magnus shift.

“You okay?”

“I'm okay.”

“S'early, Jules”

“It's four,” she said quietly, and felt him draw her closer, burying his face against her neck.

She wanted him, terribly. Suddenly. But he fell asleep again, and Julia satisfied herself with a memory.

(the first time they'd made love, and she'd pulled him up the stairs to her apartment and he pressed her against the door – he'd been rough like she wanted, sweet like she'd imagined, so _good_ like she'd hoped he would be--)

Julia closed her eyes and breathed. Breathed.

_Breathed._

 

* * *

 

“Can I help tonight?” Angus asked, shoveling cereal into his mouth.

“You can help until eleven,” Magnus said. “You shouldn't stay up later.”

“Come _on_ , it's Saturday. Shouldn't I celebrate after my big interview?” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Julia pointed at Magnus. “He's learning this from you.”

“He should.” Magnus stood and kissed her cheek. “We'll be back in a couple of hours.”

“Okay” Julia wrung her hands. “Angus, are you sure you don't want us both--”

“You'll be nervous the whole time,” he said. He tipped his bowl back and drained the milk. “Stay busy here, and Magnus can stay chill at the school.”

“I am not _chill_.”

“Yeah, but you'll be useless here. _She_ can handle herself.”

“ _That is--_ ” Magnus sighed. “Yeah, that's true.” He sighed and kissed her one more time. “We'll be back.”

Julia followed them to the top of the stairs and watched them go.

She stood.

And she took stock.

And then she went down.

 

* * *

 

“Taako, honey.”

“Don't _honey_ , me,” he said. “This is, like, your big night and I don't wanna fuck it up.” He was meticulously inspecting meat. “If this shit's not perfect, it's not going out. You feel me?”

Julia sighed. “Yes. I do. But if you're the one cooking it, then I have _zero_ doubts about its perfection, okay?”

Taako...stared. “Um, yeah. Okay.”

“Okay.” She took a breath, and then she took a risk.

She hugged him.

Julia Burnsides...was not a hugger. Her husband was, but she had a set number of hugs in her for one day, and they were mostly for Magnus, and lately for Angus. But the way Taako was stressing, the way he was so _committed_ , Julia just...wanted him to know that she understood.

It was stiff for a moment, she knew he wasn't into this thing really anymore than she was. But he relaxed into it, and they stood in the quiet of the kitchen, carefully participating in this ritual with one another, something neither of them really understood, but knew was sometimes necessary.

“Okay, I'm done,” Taako said.

“Me, too.”

“That was...good. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Julia stepped back. “Now stop stressing about this. It's...it's all going to turn out great.”

“Yeah.” Taako grinned. “I think it is, too.”

And then, carefully, she started counting down the hours. Angus's interview had just started, so there was no need to be worried. Magnus would have told her if something had happened. He would have _said something_ , she knew it. But she knew Angus was right, too – Magnus would have been useless to everyone here. Julia, at least, could get some work done.

And there was _plenty_ of work to be done.

She practically barricaded herself in her office, making calls to their regulars, confirming some more important reservations, making sure that the next week of business didn't get lost in the build-up to one night. All of this, and around her, her staff was putting everything into place. Julia had no hang-ups about how successful their night would be – she knew they could handle it.

This was her _family_. They could handle anything.

 

* * *

 

Around noon, the door burst open, and Lup stood there, grin plastered across her face.

“ _They're back_.”

“They're back?”

“They're back!” Barry shouted, and everyone ran out, abandoning their work as Magnus and Angus threw open the doors.

Julia pushed through and stopped. “Tell me. Tell me right now--”

Magnus grinned, pulled her in by her waist, and planted one right on her.

Behind her she heard Angus say proudly, “ _I got in_.”

Julia pulled away and turned to him, dropping down to wrap her arms around him. “I knew you would. _I knew you would!_ ” Angus laughed and hugged her back, and Magnus reached down and scooped them both up, spinning them around. He set them down, but they clung to one another, laughing and shouting as everyone piled in.

“ _Great job, Ango!_ ”

“ _We knew you could do it!_ ”

“ _Little genius--_ ”

“ _Another party! Another party!_ ”

“Alright, _alright!_ ” Magnus pushed everyone back. “People. We are less than six hours away from dinner. If you've got a job, _get back to it!_ You can tell Angus that you're proud of him at any point today. He's gonna be with us.”

Angus grinned. “Really?”

“Heck yeah, kiddo. You _earned_ this.”

Angus punched the air. “ _Yes!_ I'm gonna go change.” He bolted and went upstairs as everyone got back to work.

Julia felt Magnus's hands on her, and she turned and fell into him, totally embraced, completely...his, just for that moment.

“...Hi,” she said.

He smiled. “Hey.”

“So it happened.”

“It did. The kid did good.”

They stood there, grasping one another, eyes locked – and, for a moment, it felt like meeting for the time.

(it hadn't gone that way, but she could imagine that, in other worlds, in other times, in other places – it could.)

And she wanted him again. She wanted him to take her somewhere, hold her and press her against the wall and just _be with her_ , be everything for her, for just a few moments.

But he let go, hands faltering at her sides, the muscle of his jaw quivering.

“I, um. I gotta go check on some stuff.”

“I know,” she said.

“Okay.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek before heading into the kitchen.

Julia felt her legs tremble, but she held herself together before going back to the office.

 

* * *

 

“Um, Mrs. Burnsides?”

Julia looked up, and Johann was poking his nose in between the door and the doorframe.

“Johann, honey, you're fine. Come in.”

“Oh, okay.” He stepped in. “Um, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry?”

“...Why?”

“Oh. Did you not get my voicemail?”

Julia glanced around for her phone, realized she didn't have it, and groaned. “ _No_. I'm sorry Johann. It's... _ugh_ , sorry. It's been a day.”

“I bet,” he said, and sat down in a chair across from her. “Um, anyway the guys I got to play tonight sort of...bailed.”

“Oh.” She straightened. “Well that's too bad.”

“Yeah, well, I think they got something that paid a little better which, like, sucks, but what can you do?” He sighed. “Anyway, I'll still be there so, like, no worries. I guess. Unless you think it won't be enough.”

“Oh, Johann, no. I...I think you're more than enough, believe me.”

He looked at her rather strangely for a moment, before grinning wide. “That's really sweet of you to say.”

“Well, it's the truth. I'd rather hear just you than some flaky boys any day.”

Johann nodded. “Yeah, it's probably better this way. I'm, uh. I'm sort of breaking the rules for you guys.”

“What does that mean?”

“It...just means that I'm playing you something of my own tonight. And I'm not _really_ supposed to do that. But I wrote it for you guys, and tonight is really special so...so it's worth it.”

“Johann--”

“I won't get in too much trouble if someone finds out,” he said quickly. “Please don't, like, get more stressed or something. Really, it's okay.”

“Are you...are you sure?” He nodded. “Okay. As long as you're certain.”

“I'm totally certain. Besides, pretty sure everyone's gonna be focused on the food. That menu looks pretty sweet.”

Julia smiled. “Yeah, Taako really outdid himself.”

Johann stood. “Alright, I'm gonna go practice. But, um, thanks. For being cool about it.”

“Thank you for thinking of us, Johann.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You guys are my favorite, so.” And he gave her a little wave and left, leaving the door open for Lucretia.

“Everything alright?”

“Everything's fine.”

Lucretia smiled and sat down on the other side of the desk. “That's good to hear, honestly.” She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “I'm glad we made it this far.”

“I'm glad, too.”

“And I'm...I'm glad that we were able to find each other. I know you and I haven't...we haven't really talked much about all of this, but...Magnus was important to me, when I was younger, and he's important to me now. So I just...I want you to know—” Lucretia took her hand. “You're important to me, too.”

Julia nodded. “I understand. You're family to us, Lucretia. You and Davenport leaving...that isn't going to change that.”

“I know.” Lucretia pulled back and stood. “I know that.” She looked down.

Julia raised a brow. “Is there...something you need to tell me?”

Lucretia shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“Quite sure.” She paused. “Well, I _did_ speak with Artemis Sterling yesterday.”

Julia stiffened. “And?”

“And...everything will be fine. I promise.”

“Magnus said the same thing.”

“Yes, I know. But Artemis really only wants good things, I promise that.”

Julia sighed. “Alright, I believe you. Thank you,” she added.

“It wasn't a problem.” Lucretia glanced at her watch. “It's almost time,” she said. “Are you ready?”

Julia nodded. “I think so.”

Lucretia reached for her hand, and Julia took it. “Good luck,” she said.

Julia laughed. “You know? I don't think we need it. I think tonight is exactly what we make of it.”

 

* * *

 

And you know?

She was right.

 

* * *

 

When Artemis Sterling sat down after shaking hands and posing for photos, Magnus turned to Julia and said, “I only want to hit him a little.”

“ _Magnus._ ”

“I'm kidding, I'm kidding.”

“Go over there and do what you promised. Go on!”

“You come with me.”

“Magnus--”

“Come on, this is _our_ night. We gotta let 'em know.”

Julia sighed and took Magnus's outstretched hand. “ _Alright_.” She let him lead her to the dining room and right up to Sterling's table. None of the guests knew the history, so there was no dramatic hush that fell over the room, though Julia could have sworn that Johann went a little softer on the keys, just for a moment.

Artemis stood, and extended his hand. “Magnus. It's...it's good to see you.”

Magnus nodded and they shook. “You, too, Sterling. This is my wife, Julia.”

“A pleasure, sir.”

“Please, _please._ Let's not do that. Lucretia swore we could be friends after this, you really _have_ to hold her to that.” Artemis sat back down and sighed, resting his elbow on the back of his chair. “Sit with me, Magnus? Just to settle things.”

Magnus looked at Julia, who nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, alright.” He pulled out a chair and sat. When Julia put a hand on his shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze and said quietly, “It's okay, Jules.”

“You sure?”

“I dunno. Are we sure, Artemis?”

“Totally sure.”

“Then we're sure,” Magnus said, and kissed her knuckles.

Julia nodded and left them. She didn't know what kind of talk went on at that table – Magus would tell her later, she knew that, but she was happy to watch from the bar as Magnus's expression grew more and more open, and she could pinpoint the precise moment when all seemed to be forgiven, and all seemed to be forgotten.

Her Magnus was like that. He couldn't hold onto his hurt for long.

“They seem happy,” Barry said.

“Don't they?”

“Are you glad it happened after all?” Julia nodded. “Good. Shouldn't live with too many regrets.”

“No, you shouldn't.”

“Here.” He pressed a glass into her hand. “Relax for a minute, okay? It's going great.”

“It is, isn't it?”

“Did you think maybe we couldn't pull it off?”

Julia shook her head. “No. I knew you guys could do it. I wouldn't have expected anything less.”

 

* * *

 

Around ten-thirty, Julia found Angus asleep in the office, and Magnus carried him upstairs to bed. The evening was winding down – Artemis had left an hour before, with the promise to return, the next time as a friend. Julia finally met Maureen, Johann played and _played_ – and suddenly the last check was signed, the door was swinging shut –

And that was that.

Their one year celebration had come and gone. For the most part.

“Alright--” Magnus popped the cork off a bottle of champagne and they began to pass around the glasses. “I wanna make a toast--”

“ _Wait!_ ” Lucretia's anxious voice cut through the chatter, and everyone turned to face her. “I...Davenport and I have something we'd like to say.”

Julia reached down and took Magnus's hand. He'd told her he was ready for them to go, but she knew that he had been dreading it. Still, he seemed peaceful, watching Lucretia fidget in her spot before she stepped forward and looked down at Davenport.

“We...we have _loved_ working here. We've loved becoming part of this incredible family. Finding family all over again.” She smiled at Magnus. “We've been doing this for ten years...”

“And we've never met anyone like you. All of you,” Davenport said. “You changed us. And a while back we started thinking that we weren't...really sure we could do this again. With someone else. You all ruined us for the experience, you know?”

Lucretia sighed. “Where would we ever find anyone like you again?”

“Nowhere,” Davenport said. “So that's...that's why we've, um...we've come up with a proposition. And it isn't too late if the answer is no, nothing's final--”

“I want to stay,” Lucretia said. “I want to stay here, with you.”

Magnus stepped toward her. “...Are you serious?” Lucretia nodded. “What...what about your business?”

She shrugged. “I won't have it anymore. I'll be here. If...if that's alright--”

“Of _course_ it's alright,” Magnus said, and rushed forward to hug her. “God, like you even have to _ask._ ”

“Well...well I _do_ have to ask because Davenport needs to tell you something, too.”

Everyone looked and Davenport's cheeks went a little pink. Merle came to stand by him, putting a hand on his shoulder. That seemed to do the trick.

“...I bought the property next door.”

Magnus turned to him. “You...you did?”

“Well, I will in a week, but I'm close. I...I've always wanted my own place, and seeing you two do what you did, the _risk_ you took...I decided that it was time. So I bought the place next door. I'm going to open a bar, and...and I...well _we_ wondered--”

Julia stepped closer. “If you're...asking what I think you're asking--”

“We...would,” Magnus said, looking to her. “Right?”

She put an arm around his waist. “Yes. We would.”

“You would.”

“Davenport, nothing would make me happier than going into business with you.”

“With _family_ ,” Magnus said firmly.

And Davenport began to cry.

They were all crying, really, and that was when the cork came off another bottle of champagne, and Barry started passing it around.

Julia could not imagine a more perfect way to say goodbye to one year, and hello to another.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, though, they were alone. Magnus bolted the door as Julia cleaned up behind the bar. She felt him watching her, and when she looked up, she saw something she hadn't seen in a long, long time.

They'd been married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony, inside a gazebo that Magnus had built just for them. When she'd walked down the aisle that day, and he'd seen her for the first time, his gaze was completely focused, and she couldn't bear to tear herself away.

He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. And right then, he was looking at her that same way.

“...What?”

“Nothing,” he said, and came around the bar to stand with her. “I just...are you happy, Jules?”

“Very,” she said, turning to face him. He was close, and she was flush with the bar, with him – and when she looked up, he was looking at her like had earlier that morning, and she knew.

“...Magnus--” He kissed her, drawing her in and up and she wrapped her arms around his neck and _gave_. His arms wound around her, holding her close and she couldn't remember the last time he'd kissed her like this.

He pulled back. “Do you regret anything?”

“No. You?”

“Not a damn thing.”

She smiled. “Not even...not even us? Everything that happened?”

“Especially not that,” he said, and kissed her again. His hands trailed down to her thighs, and he lifted her up and onto the bar, spreading her legs apart and settling between her knees.

“ _Magnus_ \--”

“It's been _seven months_ ,” he said. “And if you're alright with it, I'd really like to interrupt that right here and right now.”

Julia grinned. “Right here on the bar, Mr. Burnsides?”

“ _Mmhm._ Right. _Here._ ”

So. They did.

 

* * *

 

Eventually they managed to get upstairs, and though Magnus had grand plans of _just one more time_ , he was softly snoring a minute after they laid down, and Julia was alright with that.

Sleep though, just...wouldn't come.

She got up, poured a glass of water, and stood in the kitchen. From her spot she could see the little red light of the answering machine flashing on their phone, and she knew what was waiting for her. She went over and picked it up, pressing play on the machine, and listened to her father's voice.

“ _Hey, honey. I know today's the big day, so I just...wanted to wish you good luck. And I wanted to tell you how..._ proud _I am of you two. Magnus called me, and he...he told me about the boy, about Angus. I wish you'd called sweetie, but I...I understand. I know you've had it hard, I know you're mad at me, but I miss you like crazy. It'd be nice to meet him, and to see you. It's been a year, Julia. A whole...a whole year without seein' my daughter and I just – listen, call me whenever you get this, okay. I don't care when. I just...wanna hear your voice._ ”

Julia set the phone down and sat on the couch, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She missed her father so much that the pain was _real_ , and it reached it and _pulled,_ gripped her like a vise. She should have told him about Angus, she should have asked him to come visit, should have taken Angus to _see_ him, see where she grew up, but –

Her family had never left Raven's Roost. Her aunts had married men they met in town and stayed put. Julia's mother had been the first outsider, and when Magnus came and they married, everyone figured she was just the same.

And she was. She was like her mother, she was restless and unbound, and Magnus was the first person to see that and understand.

And so when she left, it was simply another betrayal, another way she wasn't like them. Her father hadn't chosen his sisters over her, but he hadn't jumped to her defense either. He had wanted her to stay just as much, because she knew he was lonely.

Julia hated that she held it against him. She shouldn't have. She should have done what he'd done –

she should have just let it go.

And then her fingers were dialing before she realized it, and the phone was ringing and ringing and she would just have to hang up and try again –

“ _Julia?_ ”

She heard her father's voice, and she let out a sob.

“ _Julia, sweetie--_ ”

“Hey, dad.”

“ _Oh, honey. It's so good to hear your voice._ ”

“Dad, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't--”

“ _You needed time. I understand. Your mother was the same way about this sort of thing._ ”

“I hurt you--”

“ _You didn't. I'm just glad you're alright._ ”

“I wasn't,” she said quietly. “I wasn't for a while. But...I am now. I'm better.” She sighed. “I've missed you.”

“ _I missed you, too._ ”

“I, um. I want you to come and see the place. It looks amazing, dad, and you've got to meet everyone.” She sniffed. “You've got to come meet your grandson.”

“ _My grandson..._ ”

“I know, I should have--”

“ _Oh, I'm not mad. I'm just...I have a grandson, now._ ”

“You do.” She wiped her cheeks. “Listen, dad. I, um. I'm sorry about everything. I really am.”

“ _I'm sorry, too. Baby, you sound exhausted._ ”

“It's been a long week.”

“ _Listen, get to bed, and we'll...we'll talk in the morning. We'll make plans. That sound alright?_ ”

“It sounds perfect.”

He laughed. “ _Alright. Hey,_ ” he added. “ _I love you._ ”

“I love you, too, dad.”

 

* * *

 

She went back to bed after that, and Magnus shifted. “You okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“Need to talk about it?”

Julia looked at him, looked at the openness on his face. It was after two in the morning, but he was moving to see her, really _see her_ , and his hand was cupping her cheek and Julia felt... _real_ , right there. In his arms. And she wanted, for the first time in so long, to say what she felt, exactly as she felt it.

“Yeah,” she said, and leaned forward to kiss him. “I do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "nothing like u" by bleachers


	13. sound (angus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six years later, Angus graduates, and the Joyful Duck family celebrates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! that last chapter. it felt right after i finally realized that angus needed to be the one to take stock of everything. there are definitely some things missing -- but i didn't want to drag it out and certain parts of the story deserve to be told from the perspective of who they happened to. that's what the other part is for, and i'll be filling that in as the mood strikes but -- here it is! this was my first BIG BIG taz fic and i just wanted to say thank you for reading. i really enjoyed writing this. <3

_Goodbye to the friends I had_  
_Goodbye to my upstairs neighbor_  
_Goodbye to the kids downstairs and_  
_Anybody who lent me favor_

 

* * *

 

_**present** _

Angus had planned on sleeping in the morning after he graduated, but years of being up early to help at the restaurant and get to school on time had him awake and making coffee at six-fifteen.

“Good grief, Angus. You could take a break, hon.” Julia stepped into the kitchen, knotting her robe around her waist. She went to him, pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek, and reached for the cabinet with their mugs. “I shouldn't talk, though. Dav asked if you'd want to pick up a shift at the bar tonight.”

Angus laughed. “Hey, I'm about to go to college. I'll take that good tip money.”

“I figured you would.” She held out her mug and Angus filled it. “How're you feeling?”

He sighed. “A little weird. It's like...like I waited for this for such a long time, and now it's here. I don't...I keep thinking maybe I'm dreaming.” He poured his own coffee and sat down with her at the table. “Sometimes you know, it feels like...like I'll wake up at the sisters' house, and this will have just been one...really great dream.”

Julia reached out and took his hand. “It's a pretty good thing we have goin' for us, isn't it?”

Angus nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” He gripped her hand in his own, and they sat there for a while, drinking coffee and enjoying the quiet.

And from the back of the apartment came a very distressed, very trouble noise.

“ _Mom!_ ”

Angus laughed. “You're being called.”

“I supposed I am. _Noelle, honey, we're in the kitchen!_ ”

A very grumpy six year old marched into the kitchen, planted a hand on either hip, and _pouted._

Julia sighed. “What is it, baby?”

“Papa said we _can't_ go to the zoo today.”

“Well, your papa is very busy. And I don't think anyone said you _would_ go to the zoo.”

Noelle scowled. “But I _want_ to.”

“Hey.” Magnus came into the kitchen and tapped his daughter on the shoulder. “What did you and I just talk about?”

Noelle sighed. “Want is not the same as need.”

“Exactly. I know we had a little party last night, but it's still _Thursday_ and we can't go to the zoo today. I'm sorry,” Magnus added, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Maybe next week.”

Angus looked up. “I can take her tomorrow. If it's okay with you guys.”

Magnus raised a brow. “You want to spend six hours at the zoo with your sister?”

“ _You_ think she's gonna make it six hours?”

Magnus considered this. “True. Still. You just graduated, kiddo.” He came over and put a firm hand on Angus's shoulder. “You don't have to do that--”

“I want to,” he said quickly.

Noelle's expression brightened considerably. “Really?” She ran to him. “ _Thank you, Ango, thank you!_ ”

He kissed her forehead. “No problem. And hey.” He leaned in close. “I'll let you ride the merry-go-round as many times as you want. And we'll even get a snow cone. Whaddya think of _that?_ ”

“Papa never lets me get snow cones.”

“That's because I'm cooler than papa.”

Magnus scowled. “Ha ha. Very funny.” He poured a cup of coffee. “You can deal with the sugar rush and subsequent emotional fallout then, kiddo.” He ruffled Angus's hair. “You gonna take that shift for Dav tonight?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good choice.” He sat at the table and leaned back in his chair. “Don't get too worn out at the zoo tomorrow,” he added. “We've got that dinner at Taako's place.”

“Who's watching Noelle?”

“Mook.”

Julia sighed. “Well. That should be interesting.”

 

* * *

 

_**four years ago** _

Angus had taken to doing his homework in the back of the restaurant in the evenings when Julia had to put Noelle down for bed. He loved his sister, but the hour and a half that it took to convince her to bathe, brush her teeth, and go to sleep were literal hell. Angus felt blessed not to remember what it had been like to be two.

So, headphones over his hears, physics book on the desk, he, and often times Mavis, would do their homework in silence, occasionally trading barbs and answers, leaning over to correct one anothers mistakes without hesitation.

Magnus came in one evening and set a plate of fries between them. “You two need sustenance. Courtesy of chef Taako.”

Mavis pulled off her own headphones. “Sweet.”

“Tell him we said thanks.”

Taako came in and leaned against the doorframe, grinning. “Tell me yourself, nerd.”

“Funny.” Angus flicked a fry at him.

Magnus scowled. “Alright, _alright_. We'll let you geniuses get back to work.” He moved to leave, but Taako was blocking the way. “...What's up?”

“I, uh. Gotta tell you something.” He gestured toward the second walk-in they'd had for years and still never managed to find a use for. At this point it now served as a place for peace and quiet, texting on the sly, or for Julia and Magnus to have a row, should the need arise. They went in and shut the door behind them.

Mavis turned to Angus. “Study break to eavesdrop?”

“Absolutely.” He abandoned his notes and they went to the door, pressing their ears against the metal.

“--really huge opportunity for me,” Taako said.

“I understand that.”

“I mean this is...this is what I've wanted, Mags. I've _always_ wanted this.”

“I know, you've told me.”

“I just don't want you and Julia to think I don't want to be here, or I don't appreciate you or--” A pause. “Why are you hugging me?”

Magnus sniffed. “'Cause I'm _proud_ of you. The chance to buy that place? To have something of your own? Taako, why would I _ever_ be mad about that?”

“Because I've been here for almost three years. Because...because I was here when things started, pretty much. I just don't want you to think I'm abandoning the Duck. I'm not, I'm...I'm _always_ going to owe this place everything--”

“That's not how this works,” Magnus said gently. “You earned everything you ever got from this place. No one handed it to you.”

Taako laughed. “Except for Krav.”

Magnus chuckled along with him. “Yeah, this place did hand that guy to you on a silver platter, huh?”

“Pretty much.”

Magnus sighed. “Look. Me and Jules left Raven's Roost and we had no idea what was going to happen. We took a risk. It'd be pretty shitty of me to hold you back from taking one of your own, knowing you're gonna be amazing.”

“You don't know that.”

“Nah.” Angus heard one of Magnus's wheeze-inducing back slaps. “Everything you do, you're the best at. This isn't gonna be any different. Now let's get back out there. Jules should be down soon--”

“ _Abort!_ ” Mavis whispered, and they jetted back to the desk and began furiously scribbling in their notebooks.

 

* * *

 

_**present** _

“Whaddya think?” Angus finished knotting his tie and turned to Noelle. “Lookin' good?”

“Lookin' like a big _dork_ ,” she said.

“Hey. Uncle Krav got me this tie.”

Noelle did her best Taako impression and inspected her nails. “Uncle Krav is a big dork, too.”

“True.” Angus put on his jacket. “Hey, did you have a good time at the zoo today?” Noelle nodded. “Good.” He kissed her forehead. “I had a good time, too. And what's our secret?”

“That third raspberry snow cone.”

“That's right.” He'd let her sit on his dresser while he finished getting ready, and now he picked her up and carried her back into the living room. She was already pretty much out of it. Mookie wouldn't have much of a job to do tonight.

He put her down on the sofa and settled next to her.

“Hey Angus?”

“Hm?”

“Will you...come visit? When you're at college?”

“Of course.”

“And you won't forget me.”

Angus pulled her close and kissed the top of her forehead. “How could I ever forget my baby sister, huh?”

“I am _not_ a baby.”

“I know. You're gonna be a big first grader before you know it.”

“And then I'll basically be in college.”

Angus chuckled. “Yeah. You'll _basically_ be in college.”

Magnus came out of the back bedroom, fixing his jacket. “Mook's almost here. You ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Magnus come over and hefted Noelle up, spinning her around before planting a kiss on her cheek. “You getting' all weepy before your brother even goes anywhere?”

“ _No._ ”

“Hey, it's okay.” He settled her on his hip. “Remember what we talked about.”

“Always say what you feel.”

“And?”

Noelle sighed. “All your feelings matter because they're your _feelings._ ”

“That's right.” He set her back on the couch and put out a hand. Angus took it and Magnus pulled him up as Mookie opened the door to the apartment.

“ _Hello?_ Is there's a tiny Burnside here?”

“ _Mookie!_ ” Noelle leapt from the couch right at him, cackling madly.

Magnus chuckled. “Made for each other.” He looked over his shoulder. “ _Jules! Mook's here, you ready?_ ”

“Yes, Magnus, there's no reason to shout.” She stepped out of the back bedroom and slipped on a pair of blue heels before coming to Angus and righting his tie. “You look so handsome,” she said quietly, and kissed his cheek. “Okay, Burnsides, lets go.”

 

* * *

 

Four years ago, Taako had left the Duck to buy a place of his own. It had been, as Magnus predicted, a rousing success. Taako was one of the most talked about chefs in Faerun, his meals were absolutely legendary. He'd promised Angus that when he finally graduated from the Science Academy, the place would be his for the night. It was a big deal, the chef who'd cooked for Duke Artemis Sterling in not one, but two different restaurants, shutting the place down so he could have a graduation party for some eighteen year old punk no one even knew but –

“You're special,” Taako told him. “You've always been special. And you're going to go and do the most amazing stuff. So I'm gonna cook you the most amazing dinner, and we're gonna throw you the most amazing party. You understand?”

And so – that's what he did.

“Besides,” Taako added. “Family first.”

 

* * *

 

“There he is! Make way, make way--” Hurley jogged up and parted their little crowd. “The man of the hour.”

“You're embarrassing,” Angus muttered.

“That's what family's supposed to be. If you're not cringing every ten seconds, you're not doing it right,” Carey said, giving him a quick hug. “Sorry we missed your ceremony, Jules said the speech you gave was terrific.”

“It was okay.”

“It was _phenomenal._ ” Kravitz put an arm around his shoulder. “We were all so impressed. Taako said you and Mavis are sitting down here at the end.” Mavis was already there, waving and pulling out the chair next to her. “I can't believe the two of you are already going to university.” Kravitz shook his head. “It's amazing. It's like you both just got into that school yesterday.”

Mavis grinned. She'd gotten into the academy the year after Angus, and they'd become fast friends. “You sound a lot like my mom, Dr. Kravitz.” Hecuba turned at the sound of her title, but only smiled. She and Merle and Davenport were deep into a discussion, most likely about Mookie. Mavis leaned over. “Mook got detention for breaking up a fight. Mom and the dads are concerned.”

“Mook got into a _fight?_ ”

“I know, wild right?”

“Totally.” Angus leaned back. They were seated at the center of a set of tables set up in the shape of a blocky “U”. Anyone Angus could think of was there – Barry and Lup were walking in with their arms laden down with gifts, trying to wave madly; Lucretia and Maureen were sorting through a table of presents and sharing a glass of wine; Ren, their chef who'd been hand-picked by Taako to replace him was disappearing back into the kitchen. Avi and Johann came in after Barry and made a beeline for Angus and Mavis. They were going to Johann's alma mater.

“Johann's got tips for navigating the student union.”

“And the best dorms.”

Avi nodded. “That too.” He gave Angus's shoulder a solid pat. “Real proud of you guys.” They grinned and made their way around the table, making the necessary rounds.

Eventually, Taako came out of the kitchen, and a hush fell over the room.

He smiled and took a bow. “Dinner is freakin' served.”

 

* * *

 

_**six years ago** _

Magnus and Julia didn't usually meet Angus in the kitchen when he came from home school. Sometimes one of them would come by and get him, but usually Angus took the bus or walked. He would say hi on his way upstairs, get a snack, and start on his homework.

That afternoon, they were sitting at the kitchen table, talking in low whispers. He sometimes found them that way, or came up on them having a gentle argument. But, more often than not these days, if they were together, they were looking at one another fondly, his hand brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, her face tilted up to meet his.

Angus felt lucky to be in the presence of two people so _in love_ , even if it was totally gross.

He stopped that day and tipped his head to the side, concerned. “...Everything okay?”

Julia looked up. “We need to talk.”

“Alright.”

Magnus pointed. “Have a seat, bud.”

Angus nodded and set down his backpack, carefully lowering himself into a chair. He'd had, since he'd started living here, this completely irrational fear that he would come home one day and they'd tell him they didn't want him anymore. Magnus said it was normal, that he'd felt that way after he'd been adopted for _months._ But even though Angus knew he was safe, knew he wasn't going anywhere – he could picture it so clearly that sometimes the dreams where it happened felt more real than all the days when it didn't.

Magnus must have seen the fear in his eyes, because he said quickly, “This isn't about you. _You_ aren't going anywhere.”

“Okay.”

Julia reached out and took his hand. “It's...about us. As a family.” She glanced at Magnus. “We weren't...really expecting to have this talk with you so soon. It was sort of a surprise.”

“We wanted you to feel more settled before everything sort of...changed.”

Angus frowned. “Are we moving?”

Magnus shook his head. “No. We're um.” He suddenly started grinning, and he couldn't seem to stop. “Shit, I can't say it.”

Julia laughed. “Okay, okay. I'll do it.” She reached for Angus's other hand. “We're going to have a _baby._ ”

Angus stared. He stared for what was probably a long enough time to make both of them a little uncomfortable. And then he stared some more.

“...Angus--”

“You're having a baby.”

“...Yes.”

“Like a real baby.”

“A real baby.”

Magnus said quickly, “We really wanted to wait, but this...sort of surprised us. We didn't want you to feel confused or like we don't want you here, because we _do_ , Angus. We really do.”

“I believe you.”

Julia worried her bottom lip. “So you're...you're okay with this?”

Angus looked at her. “If you...have a baby, does this mean I'm their brother? Like...it counts and everything?”

“...Do you want it to count?” she asked.

Angus nodded. “Yes,” he said, his voice breaking, just at the end. “I really do.”

Julia smiled. “We want it to count, too.”

 

* * *

 

_**present** _

It took a while, but as everyone milled around the dining room, eating and drinking and catching up, eventually Taako found Angus.

“So? How's it feel?”

“To be done?” Taako nodded. “...Weird, to be honest.”

“Your speech was pretty inspiring.”

Angus laughed. “Uh, yeah, I guess?”

“No, my dude, it totally was.”

“My mom helped.”

Taako laughed. “She's good for that.” He put an arm around Angus and they started walking. “You know, if you'd told me however many years ago that there'd be kids in this world I'd fuckin' love, I'd have called you a liar.” He looked at him. “But I love you. You know that, right?” Angus nodded. “And I love your weird, hyperactive little sister.” He pointed. “I even love your best friend. And Mookie.”

“That's very generous of you.”

“Yeah, I know, I'm a friggin' saint or something.” Taako sighed.

“Oh, you're applyin' for sainthood now?” Merle came over and polished off his wine glass before giving a soft belch.

“Classy,” Taako deadpanned.

Davenport came to stand by him and sighed. “Pardon him, he's been cooped up in the office all day working on the bills.”

“Can't believe that's what you made me do.”

“After what happened _last month_ \--”

“That was an _accident_ , I _told you_ \--”

“ _Okay_ , they're all yours Ango.” Taako gave him a pat on the shoulder and headed across the room towards Magnus and Kravitz.

Davenport sighed. “Hey, thanks for picking up that shift last night.” He turned to Merle. “He and Mave made some good money.”

Mavis wandered over. “We told everyone we were going to college. Rich drunk people are _incredibly_ generous.”

Angus laughed. “Amen to that.”

The night passed that way – his parents' friends coming up to him, hugging him, telling him how _proud_ they were. Lucretia found him a little later on in the night. She'd had a rough year – her mother had passed not long ago, and now Maureen's father had recently died as well. But they were managing better than Angus could have predicted. Magnus said they had cats.

“You look very handsome tonight, sir.”

“Oh, thanks Aunt Lu.”

She reached out and nudged his tie. “I know it doesn't make much sense but...you remind me so much of Magnus these days.”

Angus ducked his head – people said that all the time, usually ignorant of their family history. It always made Magnus choke up a little.

“I hope you like the gift. Maureen picked it out, it was something she got for Lucas when he first went to university, she said. A very practical gift.” She glanced over her shoulder. “It's good for her to be out. She's been miserable these last few weeks.”

“I'm glad you're both here,” Angus said, and reached out to hug her. “I know it's been rough.”

“...It has. We're very lucky to have you and your family.”

Angus smiled. “Hey. It's your family, too, Aunt Lu.”

She brushed a tear from her cheek. “Yes,” she said, and reached down to grip his hand. “It certainly is.”

 

* * *

 

Eventually, the party had to end. But Angus could have lived in this suspended moment of celebration for as long as the world would allow. He loved having everyone together, he loved hearing them praise one another, tease and love each other.

All those years ago, his grandfather had written that he wanted just one thing for him: he wanted Angus to have a family.

He wanted Angus to be _loved._

Here, he was. Well, he was every single day, but he never felt it quite like he did when everyone was together.

Six years ago, Magnus and Julia Burnsides had left Raven's Roost and come to Neverwinter. They had no idea what would happen, no clue if they'd succeed. Julia said they had, against all odds, but – Magnus was once a boy living with the Sisters of Istus. He'd once prayed to the lady of fate, so he knew. He knew better than anyone that sometimes things were meant to be.

(a boy at the breakfast counter, a doctor in an elevator, and two people walked into a restaurant one day and everything changed – )

“Hey.” Magnus looked into the rearview mirror and grinned. “You have a good time?”

Angus nodded, loosening his tie. “Yeah. I did.”

Julia looked at him and smiled. “I'm glad, honey.” She turned and said something to Magnus, and he laughed and reached out to hold her hand. Angus was drifting off.

This was his family.

It was made from the bits and bobs the Burnsides collected, people who had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. People who were a little broke, and a little lonely It was made by accident, and by fate. Forged in their bread oven, celebrated in the spaces they could find to _be_ with one another.

And Angus had fallen in by accident, choosing one morning to skip school and order eggs at a breakfast counter from the nicest woman he'd ever met.

Years ago, Angus couldn't believe that fate did anything but conspire to ruin him, make his life miserable.

Now he knew, fate or otherwise, it had all happened for one reason and one reason alone –

To bring them together, and to make them whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics from "goodbye" by bleachers.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr @ weatheredlaw


End file.
